afterburn

noun

af·​ter·​burn ˈaf-tər-ˌbərn 

1

: a hot, spicy, or burning sensation that remains in the mouth after consumption of a food or beverage

And at 13.5 percent alcohol, it leaves a noticeable afterburn on the palate.

—Howard G. Goldberg

2

: a period of lingering anger, fear, bitterness, etc., that follows a painful or traumatic event

… the afterburn of a hateful divorce.

—Gillian Flynn

3

: the consumption of calories by the body in the period following exercise

Is the afterburn real? Whether the metabolism speeds up for hours after exercise is an old question, and studies over the years have produced mixed results.

—News and Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Examples of afterburn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hence, perhaps, its bewildering lack of afterburn. —Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2021

Research has shown that the afterburn effects are in fact negligible and not as beneficial as advertised, according to Otey. —Jeff Tomko, Men's Health, 12 July 2022

Richard understands how Sixties idealism wound up being a kind of lingering afterburn that made everybody itchy and unhappy. —Kyle Smith, National Review, 7 Apr. 2021

Except, of course, for the people who don't have the luxury of not still smelling the afterburn in the air. Scarier than the Chart is the Thing. —Caissie St. Onge, EW.com, 20 Aug. 2020

Similarly, while higher-intensity workouts might result in a slight post-workout afterburn (research conflicts on this issue), those short-term results don’t affect what your metabolism will be the following day. —Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2020

Still, research shows that high-intensity training produces a bigger afterburn effect than steady-state training does. —Lauren Bedosky, SELF, 16 Dec. 2017

Bueno’s house special is a chicken breast in her house recipe mole, brown and sweet but with a notable afterburn. —Bud Kennedy, star-telegram.com, 5 July 2017

Word History

Etymology

after- + burn entry 2

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 2