WordGarden.iohothouse
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /hˈɒthaʊs/
US
- /ˈhɑtˌhaʊs/
Meanings
Noun
a heated greenhouse for growing plants
an intense or sheltered environment that promotes rapid development
Adjective
grown or developed in artificially warm or protected conditions
Beyond the definition
A hothouse first meant a heated glass building where delicate plants could grow even when the weather outside was too cold. The idea is simple: warmth, shelter, and careful control help things grow faster or survive conditions they normally could not handle.
From there, the word grew into a figurative one. It can describe any setting where people or talent are protected, shaped, or pushed in a very controlled way. A child might grow up in a hothouse atmosphere, sheltered from ordinary problems, or a school might feel like a hothouse because students are under constant pressure to succeed. In both cases, the word often suggests that the protection or pressure is a bit unnatural.
The word "hothouse" originally refers to a heated glass structure used to grow plants. In a literal sense, it is much like a greenhouse, especially one made warm enough for delicate flowers, fruit, or vegetables that would struggle outdoors. The point of a hothouse is control: the air, temperature, and moisture are managed so that growth can continue even in poor weather or out of season.
That literal image gives the word its figurative force. When people describe a place, family, school, or industry as a hothouse, they usually mean that it is highly controlled and unusually protective, or sometimes intensely demanding. It may help people develop quickly, but it can also keep them away from normal experience. A hothouse childhood, for example, suggests a life with a lot of shelter and close guidance. A hothouse academic or artistic setting suggests strong pressure, fast development, and little room to fail quietly.
Because of that, the word often carries a mixed tone. It can suggest care, skill, and special attention, but it can also hint at something artificial. Things raised in such conditions may grow well, yet they may not be ready for the harsher world outside. So whether the subject is plants, children, talent, or ambition, "hothouse" usually brings together two ideas at once: protected growth and the risk that too much control may weaken natural development.
Examples
- 1
Garden plants
The orchids are kept in a hothouse behind the main garden.
- 2
Startup culture
The startup became a hothouse of new ideas during its first year.
- Patternhothouse of + ideas/activity
a place where something develops very quickly
- 3
Elite training
Many young athletes struggle in the hothouse atmosphere of elite training camps.
- Phrasehothouse atmosphere
a very intense, pressured environment
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- conservatory
- orangery
- forcing house
Contrast
- open field
- cold frame
Do not confuse
- hot house
Used with (collocations)
- hothouse plants
- hothouse flowers
- hothouse tomatoes
Explore
- horticulture
- controlled environment agriculture
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- hothousenoun
Forms
- hothousespluralnoun