aboil
Definition
Adjective (predicative only): In a state of boiling; bubbling or seething with heat or agitation.
Usage Examples
- (The water was actively boiling.)
- (His anger was seething or boiling over.)
Advanced Usage
- Metaphorical use: Describing a situation or emotion that is intensely active or agitated, like boiling liquid.
- The city was aboil with protest. (The city was in a state of intense agitation or turmoil.)
Variants and Related Words
Boil (verb/noun): The base word, meaning to heat a liquid until it bubbles and turns to vapor, or the state of such heating.
- Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. (The liquid reaches its boiling point.)
Boiling (adj/adv): In the process of boiling; very hot.
- The boiling water scalded his hand. (The water was actively bubbling.)
Synonyms
- Seething: In a state of intense agitation or boiling.
- Bubbling: Producing bubbles, as in a boiling liquid.
- Agitated: Disturbed or excited, often emotionally.
Related Idioms
- To be at a boil: To be in a state of intense activity or anger.
- The negotiations were at a boil. (The discussions were highly tense.)
Notes on Usage
- "Aboil" is a rare, literary word, almost exclusively used as a predicate adjective (after a linking verb like "be," "seem," "become"). It is not commonly used in modern everyday conversation.