ASHES Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

ashes 1 of 2

plural noun

as in rubble

the portion or bits of something left over or behind after it has been destroyed a new and more splendid city was built on the ashes of the old

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ashes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of ash

as in incinerates

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ashes

Verb

With the transformer clicked on, one associate of Blaine and Anneliese's immediately incinerates.

— Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
In 2025, French firm Veolia flexed its global leadership in PFAS treatment by opening a massive plant in Delaware that filters PFAS from water and incinerates it to break the bond between fluorine and carbon, one of the strongest in chemistry.

— Don Steinberg, Time, 30 Apr. 2026

Definition of incinerates

Verb

For three years now, many have feared that Hezbollah’s war with Israel could be the spark that lights the tinderbox.

— Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
Down the hall, his girlfriend examines her birth chart, lights the palo santo and wonders whether Mercury is going to wreck her Tuesday.

— Ryan Zickgraf, Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of lights

Verb

While Martin Scorsese called it one of the scariest movies of all time, The Uninvited kindles a wonderful romance between Rick and Stella.

— Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
The star of Big Little Lies confessed her new film, Caught Stealing, kindles a powerful yearning for some aspects of the era.

— Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Definition of kindles

Verb

The rivalry burns as strong as ever, but so does the mutual respect, which survives the collisions, politics and long silences.

— Daniel Gallan, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
There’s a mysterious sickness going around, apparently caused by a toxic fog that invisibly burns the skin of whoever comes into contact with it.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of burns

Verb

In the highlight, Marshall retrieves the ball and oddly fires it back to the infield, fooling no one.

— Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
The fact is, MLB’s next expansion derby isn’t going to be won by the city that wakes up after Commissioner Rob Manfred fires the starting gun.

— Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of fires

Verb

Asthma is a chronic condition that inflames the airways and can make breathing difficult.

— Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 29 Apr. 2026
The episode inflames the diplomatic spat between the two countries that began over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments about Taiwan.

— J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026

Definition of inflames

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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ashen

ashes

ashing

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“Ashes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ashes. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ashes

plural noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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