Warm — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb adverb /ˈwȯrm/

Meaning & Definition of Warm

Warm (adjective)

  1. having or giving out heat to a moderate or adequate degree
  2. serving to maintain or preserve heat especially to a satisfactory degree
  3. feeling or causing sensations of heat brought about by strenuous exertion

Warm (verb)

  1. to make warm
  2. to infuse with a feeling of love, friendship, well-being, or pleasure
  3. to fill with anger, zeal, or passion

Warm (adverb)

  1. warmly —usually used in combination

Warm (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having or giving off heat to a moderate degree

    "the pan was still warm, but no longer too hot to touch"

    similar: heated, hottish, lukewarm, tepid, toasty, warmed, warmish
    related: thawed, boiling, broiling, burning, fiery, hot, piping hot, red-hot, roasting, scalding, scorching, searing, steamy, sultry, sweltering, torrid, white-hot, overheated, roasted, superheated, blazing, glowing, molten, sizzling, reheated, rewarmed, warmed-over
    opposite: chilled, coldish, cool, cooled, coolish, refrigerated, unheated
    near: arctic, bitter, bleak, chill, chilly, cold, freezing, frigid, frosty, gelid, glacial, ice-cold, iced, icy, nippy, polar, raw, sharp, snappy, snowy, subfreezing, subzero, ultracold, winterly, wintry, frosted, benumbed, nipped, numb

  2. having or expressing great depth of feeling

    "a warm hug of welcome from our grandmother"

    similar: ardent, blazing, burning, charged, demonstrative, emotional, fervent, fervid, feverish, fiery, flaming, glowing, hot-blooded, impassioned, incandescent, intense, passional, passionate, perfervid, red-hot, religious, superheated, torrid, vehement, warm-blooded, on fire
    related: gushing, gushy, maudlin, mawkish, mushy, saccharine, sappy, schmaltzy, sentimental, sloppy, sugary, histrionic, melodramatic, enthusiastic, gung ho, keen, zealous, enamored, infatuated, obsessed, uninhibited, unreserved, unrestrained, frenzied, orgiastic, overemotional, overexcited, overheated
    opposite: cold, cool, dispassionate, emotionless, impassive, unemotional
    near: detached, dry, impersonal, objective, reserved, undemonstrative

  3. having or showing kindly feeling and sincere interest

    "a warm inquiry after his parents' health"

    similar: amicable, bonhomous, buddy-buddy, chummy, collegial, companionable, comradely, cordial, friendly, genial, hail-fellow, hail-fellow-well-met, hearty, matey (chiefly British), neighborly, palsy, palsy-walsy (slang), warmhearted
    related: affable, agreeable, approachable, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, nice, sweet, clubby, convivial, folksy, gregarious, hospitable, sociable, social, jolly, jovial, merry, extroverted, outgoing, brotherly, fraternal, sisterly, close, familiar, intimate, adoring, affectionate, devoted, fond, lovesome, loving, tender, tenderhearted
    opposite: antagonistic, hostile, unfriendly
    near: alienated, estranged, chilly, cold, cold-blooded, cool, frigid, frosty, glacial, icy, wintry, unsociable, unsocial, aggressive, argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, disputatious, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, truculent, inhospitable, inimical

Warm (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause to have or give off heat to a moderate degree

    "you'll need to warm the food in the microwave"

    similar: heat, hot (up) (chiefly Southern, southern Midland, & British), toast
    related: overheat, superheat, reheat, rewarm, thaw, bake, cook, roast, burn, char, fire, parch, scald, scorch, sear
    opposite: chill, cool, refrigerate
    near: freeze, frost, ice, supercool

  2. to give satisfaction to

    "my dance instructor's generous praise warmed my heart"

    similar: agree (with), content, delight, feast, gas (slang), glad (archaic), gladden, gratify, please, pleasure, rejoice, satisfy, suit
    related: appease, mollify, pacify, placate, soothe, assuage, quench, sate, satiate, excite, tickle, titillate, amuse, divert, entertain, treat, captivate, charm, galvanize, thrill, calm, comfort, cater (to), humor, indulge, coddle, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil
    opposite: displease
    near: aggravate, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, cross, exasperate, gall, get, grate, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, perturb, pique, put out, ruffle, vex, anger, enrage, incense, inflame, infuriate, madden, outrage, rankle, rile, roil, steam up, provoke, rouse, agitate, distress, disturb, fret, upset, harass, harry, pester, affront, insult, offend

Related Entry: Warm-blooded (adjective)

Warm-blooded is a different word from Warm. The synonyms below are for warm-blooded, not for warm.

  1. having or expressing great depth of feeling

    "a warm-blooded defense of everyone's right to free speech"

    similar: ardent, blazing, burning, charged, demonstrative, emotional, fervent, fervid, feverish, fiery, flaming, glowing, hot-blooded, impassioned, incandescent, intense, passional, passionate, perfervid, red-hot, religious, superheated, torrid, vehement, warm, on fire
    related: gushing, gushy, maudlin, mawkish, mushy, saccharine, sappy, schmaltzy, sentimental, sloppy, sugary, histrionic, melodramatic, enthusiastic, gung ho, keen, zealous, enamored, infatuated, obsessed, uninhibited, unreserved, unrestrained, frenzied, orgiastic, overemotional, overexcited, overheated
    opposite: cold, cool, dispassionate, emotionless, impassive, unemotional
    near: detached, dry, impersonal, objective, reserved, undemonstrative

Related Entry: Warm fuzzies (plural noun)

Warm fuzzies is a different word from Warm. The synonyms below are for warm fuzzies, not for warm.

  1. a feeling or state of well-being and contentment

    "the warm fuzzies that one typically gets from having done a good deed"

    similar: beatitude, blessedness, bliss, blissfulness, felicity, gladness, happiness, joy
    related: elatedness, elation, exhilaration, exultation, high, intoxication, ecstasy, euphoria, glory, heaven, nirvana, paradise, rapture, rapturousness, ravishment, seventh heaven, transport, delectation, delight, enjoyment, pleasure, cheer, cheerfulness, comfort, exuberance, gaiety, gladsomeness, glee, gleefulness, jocundity, jollity, joyfulness, joyousness, jubilance, jubilation, lightheartedness, merriness, mirth, content, contentedness, gratification, satisfaction, triumph
    opposite: calamity, ill-being, misery, sadness, unhappiness, wretchedness
    near: agony, anguish, desolation, joylessness, sorrow, sufferance, woe, woefulness, blues, cheerlessness, dejection, depression, desolateness, despondency, disheartenment, dispiritedness, doldrums, downheartedness, gloom, gloominess, melancholy, mournfulness, plaintiveness, Gehenna, hell, purgatory

Related Entry: Warm-up (noun)

Warm-up is a different word from Warm. The synonyms below are for warm-up, not for warm.

  1. a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event

    "the couple's initial exchange of insults proved to be only a warm-up for their booze-fueled fight later that night"

    similar: curtain-raiser, overture, preamble, preliminary, prelude, prologue
    related: countdown, run-up (chiefly British), lead-in, kickoff, start

Related Entry: Warm (up) (verb)

Warm (up) is a different word from Warm. The synonyms below are for warm (up), not for warm.

  1. as in draw up, gear up

    similar: arm, equip, forearm, furnish, outfit, provide, supply, educate, indoctrinate, instruct, school, train, tutor, batten, gather, gear up, mount, arrange, set, spread, draft, draw up, frame, brace, fortify, gird, steel, boot (up), prime, incline, predispose

Related Entry: Warm-ups (noun)

Warm-ups is a different word from Warm. The synonyms below are for warm-ups, not for warm.

  1. a performance, activity, or event that precedes and sets the stage for the main event

    "the couple's initial exchange of insults proved to be only a warm-up for their booze-fueled fight later that night"

    similar: curtain-raisers, overtures, preambles, preliminaries, preludes, prologues
    related: countdowns, run-ups (chiefly British), lead-ins, kickoffs, starts

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Warm

The most common words with a similar meaning to Warm:

Slang: palsy-walsy, gas
Chiefly British: matey
Chiefly Southern, southern Midland, & British: hot (up)
Archaic: glad
heated, hottish, lukewarm, tepid, toasty, warmed, warmish, ardent, blazing, burning, charged, demonstrative, emotional, fervent, fervid, feverish, fiery, flaming, glowing, hot-blooded, impassioned, incandescent, intense, passional, passionate, perfervid, red-hot, religious, superheated, torrid, vehement, warm-blooded, amicable, bonhomous, buddy-buddy, chummy, collegial, companionable, comradely, cordial

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Warm

Words with the opposite meaning of Warm:

chilled, coldish, cool, cooled, coolish, refrigerated, unheated, cold, dispassionate, emotionless, impassive, unemotional, antagonistic, hostile, unfriendly, chill, refrigerate, displease

Related Words for Warm

thawed, boiling, broiling, hot, piping hot, roasting, scalding, scorching, searing, steamy, sultry, sweltering, white-hot, overheated, roasted, molten, sizzling, reheated, rewarmed, warmed-over, gushing, gushy, maudlin, mawkish, mushy, saccharine, sappy, schmaltzy, sentimental, sloppy

Near Antonyms of Warm

arctic, bitter, bleak, chilly, freezing, frigid, frosty, gelid, glacial, ice-cold, iced, icy, nippy, polar, raw, sharp, snappy, snowy, subfreezing, subzero, ultracold, winterly, wintry, frosted, benumbed, nipped, numb, detached, dry, impersonal

Word Forms of Warm

Inflections: warmed, warming, warms

Derived words: warmish (adjective), warmness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Warm

Middle English, from Old English wearm; akin to Old High German warm warm and probably to Lithuanian virti to cook, boil

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Warm

Words & Phrases Containing Warm

warm-blooded, warm front, warm fuzzies, warm spot, warm-up, warm up, warm feeling

Frequently Asked Questions about Warm

What does "Warm" mean?

"Warm" means having or giving out heat to a moderate or adequate degree. As an an adjective, a verb and an adverb, it is defined as: having or giving out heat to a moderate or adequate degree. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Warm"?

Other words for "Warm" include heated, hottish, lukewarm, tepid, toasty, warmed, warmish and ardent. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Warm" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Warm"?

There are 192 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Warm". Common alternatives include heated, hottish, lukewarm, tepid, toasty, warmed, warmish, ardent, blazing and burning.

What is the opposite of "Warm"?

Antonyms of "Warm" include chilled, coldish, cool, cooled, coolish, refrigerated, unheated and cold. Near antonyms include arctic, bitter, bleak and chilly.

How do you use "Warm" in a sentence?

Examples of "Warm" in a sentence: "the pan was still warm, but no longer too hot to touch"; "a warm hug of welcome from our grandmother"; "a warm inquiry after his parents' health".

Is "Warm" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Warm" can be used as an adjective, a verb and an adverb, depending on the context.

Is "Warm" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Warm" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Warm"?

"Warm" is pronounced /ˈwȯrm/.