variants
or smoulder
1
as in to anger
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
She smoldered when first learning of her son's misbehavior at school, but had calmed down by the time he arrived home.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to blaze
to be on fire usually with smoke but few flames
They look forward to those long summer nights telling stories beside a smoldering campfire.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smolder
There The New Yorker would lounge, unfurled, beside the whiskey decanter and the smoldering cigar.
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Their barbecue hadn’t worked, just smoked and smoldered.
—Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Image Another photo that appeared inside depicted a large crowd gathered around the smoldering debris.
—John Otis, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Two Series Regulars Leaving in Wake of Explosive 2-Hour Finale
‘GIVE SARAH MY LOVE’ | Outside Jackson’s walls, the bodies of the infected horde are still smoldering.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
Their barbecue hadn’t worked, just smoked and smoldered.
—Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Image Another photo that appeared inside depicted a large crowd gathered around the smoldering debris.
—John Otis, New York Times, 3 May 2025
Two Series Regulars Leaving in Wake of Explosive 2-Hour Finale
‘GIVE SARAH MY LOVE’ | Outside Jackson’s walls, the bodies of the infected horde are still smoldering.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolder
Verb
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Target also said its first-quarter performance was affected by negative reactions to its pullback on diversity, equity and inclusion policies (DEI) in January, which angered some loyal customers who have long praised the company's commitment to inclusiveness.—
Siddharth Cavale,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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Trump was angered by reading reports that Springsteen, without referring to the president by name, had criticized the administration in a Manchester concert.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
21 May 2025
Verb
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In some ways, these companies are following a path blazed by IBM, which has spent decades supporting marquee events including The Masters, Wimbledon and the US Open Tennis Championship.—
Melody Brue,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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But our biology has not caught up to our beeping, blinking, blazing world.—
Alex Tzelnic,
Outside Online,
22 May 2025
Verb
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The location was evidently a sacred place where the ancient buried their dead and saber-tooth tigers snarled.—
Sean Kingsley,
HollywoodReporter,
24 May 2025
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The cages help shelter the vulnerable young oysters, and keep them from sinking into the mud, serving the function of oyster reefs, which once rose above the surface of the Chesapeake in some places, snarling passing ships.—
Christine Condon,
Baltimore Sun,
24 May 2025
Verb
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The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2023
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.—
Neeti Mehra,
Treehugger,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
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This traditional preparation, symbolic of samurai culture, features two seabreams steamed and served facing each other, often gracing weddings and celebratory occasions.—
Kaila Yu,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
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It can be used as a sauce for grain bowls featuring brown rice, spelt, oats, or barley; over legumes such as chickpeas, peas, and beans; and on roasted or steamed vegetables such as fennel, sweet potatoes, or squash.—
Alessandra Signorelli,
Vogue,
31 May 2025
Verb
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As a result, when the signal finally came, the flaming mail coach proved a fizzle rather than a rocket.—
Joseph Patrick Kelly,
The Conversation,
20 May 2025
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There are giant explosions, brutal plane crashes in the jungle, shoot-outs in the desert, secret assassins, fist fights, flaming arrows, hand grenades, gruesome injuries and bullets which need extracting, and a more frenetic pace.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
18 May 2025
Verb
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The goal snapped a lengthy cold streak for one of the top goal scorers in the regular season — only Hilary Knight and Marie-Philip Poulin had more goals than Vanišová — at a massive moment in the game, with just 10 minutes left in regulation.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
27 May 2025
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One of the others mimed palming the girl’s rear while the third snapped a photo.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
Verb
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The portals glow alluringly, the fountains dance in low light, and the Celestial Carousel is an other-worldly beacon.—
Mackenzie Schmidt,
People.com,
22 May 2025
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Learn about the tiny organisms that create glowing waters during this magical experience.—
Joe Rassel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smolder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolder. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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