seethes

Seethes is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb seethe. It denotes being filled with intense but often unexpressed anger or agitation, or being in a state of boiling heat. In modern usage, seethe can apply to literal liquids as well as figurative emotional turmoil.

The verb originates in Old English and has cognates in other Germanic languages. Its core sense linked physical boiling with internal disturbance, a connection that persists in many figurative uses.

In grammar, seethes takes a singular subject: he seethes, she seethes, it seethes. The present participle seething is widely used as an adjective or noun phrase, as in a “seething crowd” or the idea of someone being seething with anger. The past tense is seethed, as in “She seethed for hours,” while “seethe with” describes the source of the emotion, as in “the public seethes with frustration.”

Usage notes emphasize the nuance Seethe conveys restrained or internally generated agitation rather than overt outward display. It is common in journalism, fiction, and everyday speech to express simmering anger, resentment, or anticipation without a visible eruption.

Related terms include boil, fume, and simmer, each carrying its own emphasis on intensity and outward expression. Seethe tends to suggest internal heat that may or may not erupt into action, making it useful for describing states that are tense, persistent, and waiting to surface.