as in burning
being on fire
kindled straw was responsible for the blaze that destroyed the barn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in burned
to set (something) on fire
worried that lightning will kindle the forest in the drought-stricken nature preserve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of kindled
Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Watson had kindled a social media friendship with the NBA star and received an invite to one of his exclusive pickup runs.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2026
This is only slightly challenged by a flame kindled between Mindy and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) earlier on in the show.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
The ballroom aces met on Broadway, kindled a romance on the reality dancing competition, and married in 2017.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Dec. 2025
Still, the hearing last year that reduced his sentence kindled some optimism.
—Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2025
Anhedönia’s earliest exposure to contemporary culture came in the form of the true-crime serials her grandmother loved, which kindled her own interest in the macabre.
—Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
Verb
If ‘Oxen’ occupies a region of Ulysses where Joyce’s exquisite ear for memorably musical sentences (‘Mild fire of wine kindled his veins’) takes a back seat to the leaden hum of meta-literature, that is no reason not to be awed by his chutzpah.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Watson had kindled a social media friendship with the NBA star and received an invite to one of his exclusive pickup runs.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2026
This is only slightly challenged by a flame kindled between Mindy and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) earlier on in the show.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
The ballroom aces met on Broadway, kindled a romance on the reality dancing competition, and married in 2017.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Dec. 2025
Still, the hearing last year that reduced his sentence kindled some optimism.
—Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2025
Anhedönia’s earliest exposure to contemporary culture came in the form of the true-crime serials her grandmother loved, which kindled her own interest in the macabre.
—Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kindled
Adjective
-
Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
January blazes in Chile killed 23, destroyed over 1,000 structures, and burned 174 square miles in Argentina, including a UNESCO World Heritage site.—
Isabel Debre,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Bill Maher thinks the bridge between him and Jimmy Kimmel might be burned for good.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Giants have had four since 2018, and general manager Schoen is on a blazing-hot seat.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Jan. 2026
-
In nuclear thermal rockets, a small nuclear reactor heats up a propellant — often liquid hydrogen — to blazing temperatures in the thousands of degrees.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, Rihanna has been busy building her lingerie empire, Savage X Fenty, and collaborating with Jahleel Weaver to create a portfolio of show-stopping looks and a maternity style that’s ignited its own fashion movement.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Some Israeli hostages, taken during Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that ignited the war, have said they were held at Nasser Hospital, the largest in southern Gaza.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
On his forearm, Johnson sports a tattoo of the Skyway Grill’s flaming burger logo.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Bowie sported a flaming red mullet, glamorous outfits and pale white makeup for the character, who became a lasting symbol of the 1970s.—
Alex Heigl,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Adam Ruzicka, Anton Lundell, Martin Necas, Connor McDavid, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Hanna Olsson were among those who lit the lamp on Day 3 of hockey.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Rohan was first, for Rohan Shivakumar, the Yale student who first analyzed it, and Gondor was next, because, well — the beacons were lit!—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This year, the rumors swirl, a constant, low hum: Outer Heaven and Cuatro Gato, two more flickering lights, are expected to fade.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
-
But there’s more flickering contrast in Narayan van Maele’s lensing, which alternates dun realism with occasionally hyperreal lighting and composition, particularly when the pagan promise of fire is in the frame.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2022
Adjective
-
Taylor then lights a cigarette, sets the tchotchkes aflame, and fury-walks out the door.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Jan. 2026
-
As the work of Colorado’s investigators has stretched on, the diaspora of associates and friends and lawyers who knew Hunter has been aflame with speculation.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kindled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kindled. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
