seething means filled with unexpressed anger; in a state of being livid. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 79 out of 100.
seething is pronounced /ˈsiː.ðɪŋ/.
Why “seething” is a great word
Filled with intense but often suppressed anger, or in a state of agitated, volatile activity. From Middle English sethyng, equivalent to seethe (from Old English sēoþan, 'to boil') + -ing (present participle suffix); its figurative use for inward agitation is recorded from the 1580s. Unlike 'livid,' which suggests a cold, ashen fury, or 'agitated,' a more general and less potent disturbance, 'seething' is the specific containment of a scalding, volatile brew. It is the kettle on the cusp of its whistle, the thick air above summer asphalt, the roiling cloud before the storm breaks—a pressure held so tightly it becomes a warmth, a promise of eventual, violent release.
Etymology
From Middle English sethyng; equivalent to seethe + -ing.
adj
- Filled with unexpressed anger; in a state of being livid.
- In a state of extreme volatility; about to boil over; boiling, bubbling.“There Grendel was watching his blood flow out into the seething tarn.”
- In a state of unceasing and furious activity.“Otis was unfeignedly thankful to lay down his work for a little while and escape from the seething, whining, weakly hive, impotent to help itself, but strong in its power to cripple, thwart, and annoy the sunken-eyed man, who, by official irony, was said to be “in charge” of it.”
noun
- The action of the verb to seethe.“Over the winter-solid Roads, goes a great seething,— of mounted younger Gentlemen riding together by the dozens upon rented horses, Express Messengers in love with pure Velocity, Disgruntl'd Suitors with Pistols stuff'd in their Spatterdashes, seal'd Waggons not even a western Black-Boy would think of detaining.”