What does "seethe" mean?
A state of boiling or frothing; ebullition, seething; hence, extreme heat; much activity.
Seethe
/siːð/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A state of boiling or frothing; ebullition, seething; hence, extreme heat; much activity.
- Grammar: seethe is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: boil, abound, anger, angered.
- Useful contrasts: calm, cool, settle.
- Usage evidence: After hearing his twentieth rant about my mowing the lawn at 6pm, I began to seethe with anger.
How to use "seethe"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "seethe" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "seethe" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "seethe" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "seethe" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "seethe" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "boil" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "seethe", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A state of boiling or frothing; ebullition, seething; hence, extreme heat; much activity. countable, figuratively, uncountable
Verb
- 1 Of a liquid or other substance, or a container holding it: to be boiled (vigorously); to become boiling hot. intransitive
"[W]hen a pot ſeetheth, if we lade it and moove the liquor up and down, even while it ſeetheth, we ſhall make it quiet."
- 2 boil vigorously wordnet
- 3 Of a liquid, vapor, etc., or a container holding it: to foam or froth in an agitated manner, as if boiling. figuratively, intransitive
"My bowels ſeeth wͪ in me ⁊ take no reſt, for yͤ dayes of my trouble are come vpõ me."
- 4 foam as if boiling wordnet
- 5 Of a person: to be in an agitated or angry mental state, often in a way that is not obvious to others. figuratively, intransitive
"I vvill make a complementall aſſault vpon him for my buſineſſe ſeeth's."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 be in an agitated emotional state wordnet
- 7 Of a place: to be filled with many people or things moving about actively; to buzz with activity; also, of people or things: to move about actively in a crowd or group. figuratively, intransitive
"Shock Box was the skankiest bar in Hasted, complete with a cheesy jukebox, cheap pints, and a sweaty club in the basement that seethed every weekend with a superhorny boarding-school crowd."
- 8 be noisy with activity wordnet
- 9 Of a place: to have inhabitants in an angry or disaffected mood; to be in a state of unrest. figuratively, intransitive
""All the north is seething," said Gerard. "We must contrive to agitate the metropolis," said Maclast, a shrewd carroty-haired paper-stainer."
- 10 To overboil (something) so that it loses its flavour or texture; hence (figurative), to cause (the body, the mind, the spirit, etc.) to become dull through too much alcoholic drink or heat. archaic, transitive
"Yee come t'encounter vvith a valiant Foe; / […] ſuch as ſhrinke not / To haue their bloods ſod vvith the dog-dayes heate, / Nor to be crudled vvith cold Saturnes Rod: […]"
- 11 To soak (something) in a liquid; to drench, to steep. archaic, transitive
- 12 To boil (something); especially, to cook (food) by boiling or stewing; also, to keep (something) boiling. obsolete, transitive
"Iacob ſod potage ⁊ Eſau came from the feld ⁊ was faine […]"
- 13 Of the stomach: to digest (food). obsolete, transitive
"Elixation is the ſeething of meat in the ſtomack, by the ſaid naturall heat, as meat is boyled in a pot; […]"
Example
"After hearing his twentieth rant about my mowing the lawn at 6pm, I began to seethe with anger."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "seethe"?
Common synonyms include: boil, abound, anger, angered, assemble, bake.
How do you use "seethe" in a sentence?
After hearing his twentieth rant about my mowing the lawn at 6pm, I began to seethe with anger.
How do you pronounce "seethe"?
Pronounced /siːð/.
Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle English sethen, seeth (“to boil, seethe; to cook; etc.”) [and other forms], from Old English sēoþan (“to boil, seethe; to cook; etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *seuþan, from Proto-Germanic *seuþaną (“to boil, seethe”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂sewt-, *h₂sew-, *h₂sut- (“to move about, roil, seethe”). The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * Albanian zjej (“to boil, seethe”) * Danish syde (“to seethe, boil”) * Dutch zieden (“to boil, seethe”) * German sieden (“to boil, seethe”) * Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (sauþs, “burnt offering, sacrifice”) * Icelandic sjóða (“to boil, seethe”) * Low German seden (“to seethe”) * Norwegian Bokmål syde (“to boil, seethe”) * Norwegian Nynorsk sjoda, syda (“to boil, seethe”) * Scots seth, seith (“to seethe”) * Swedish sjuda (“to boil, seethe”) * West Frisian siede (“to boil”)