incinerating
Reducing to ash
Incinerating is burning something completely to ashes.
The word applies to deliberate destruction—incinerating waste, incinerating documents, incinerating remains at a crematorium.
Figuratively, incinerating suggests total annihilation: The critics incinerated his debut novel.
The process implies intense, consuming heat rather than ordinary burning.
Visible burning combustion
- burningCombustion in progress
- ashCombustion's powdery remains
- charBurn without destroying
- blazeIntense burning fire
scorch · ignite · cremate · smolder · carbonize · pyre · embers · inferno
Burning the deceased
- disposalAct of throwing away
- waste-to-energyGenerating power from garbage
- medical wasteContaminated healthcare refuse
- hazardous wasteDangerous discards threatening health
refuse · garbage · emissions · smokestack · industrial · municipal · biohazard · pollution control
Deliberate structural destruction
- annihilationUtter, complete destruction
- obliterationTotal destruction or erasure
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- ruinationState of complete destruction
disintegration · wreckage · rubble · debris · decimation · collapse · ruins · aftermath
Extremely hot, burning
- searingBrowning with intense heat
- blisteringExtremely intense or severe
- blazingBurning very brightly
- white-hotHeated until luminous
red-hot · fiery · roasting · broiling · furnace · superheated · thermal · radiant heat
Complete elimination of microbes
- sanitizationCleaning to remove pathogens
- disinfectionEliminating pathogens from surfaces
- decontaminationRemoving dangerous substances
- fumigationDisinfection via airborne chemicals
flames
Visible burning combustion
blaze · scorch · ignite · cremate · smolder · carbonize · pyre · embers · inferno · kindle
cremation
Burning the deceased
- disposalAct of throwing away
- waste-to-energyGenerating power from garbage
- medical wasteContaminated healthcare refuse
hazardous waste · refuse · garbage · emissions · smokestack · industrial · municipal · biohazard · pollution control
demolition
Deliberate structural destruction
- annihilationUtter, complete destruction
- obliterationTotal destruction or erasure
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
ruination · disintegration · wreckage · rubble · debris · decimation · collapse · ruins · aftermath · consuming
scorching
Extremely hot, burning
- searingBrowning with intense heat
- blisteringExtremely intense or severe
- blazingBurning very brightly
white-hot · red-hot · fiery · roasting · broiling · furnace · superheated · thermal · radiant heat · glowing
sterilization
Complete elimination of microbes
- sanitizationCleaning to remove pathogens
- disinfectionEliminating pathogens from surfaces
- decontaminationRemoving dangerous substances
incineratingextinguishing
Causing to stop burning
freezing · quenching · dousing · smothering · putting out
incineratingpreserving
Protecting from deterioration
conserving · protecting · saving · restoring · salvaging
- waste incinerationBurning trash as disposal