Seething

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈsiː.ðɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Radiating a sense of intense inner turmoil or agitation, often concealed from view
2. Demonstrating an extreme emotional unrest that remains hidden while being visibly calm
3. Exhibiting a tumultuous state of suppressed emotion, often characterized by hidden intensity

Etymology: The verb "seethe" once meant something much more literal than its modern figurative sense. Its Old English ancestor "seoþan" meant to boil or cook in liquid, and that sense of bubbling heat is what the adjective carries when it describes a mind in agitation. Anger and worry were pictured as a liquid coming to the boil under a closed lid, which is why a person can be described as seething while outwardly calm. The adjective is formed from the verb "seethe" plus the suffix "-ing", which turns the verb into a descriptive word meaning "in the state of seething." It appeared in Middle English as "sethyng," so the form has been in use for centuries, and the figurative sense of inner turmoil developed alongside the more literal cooking sense.

Synonyms: boiling, fuming, angered, irate, raging

Antonyms: calm, peaceful, placid, serene, tranquil