as in burning
being on fire
kindled straw was responsible for the blaze that destroyed the barn
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of kindled
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
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
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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
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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
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The Palisades fire burned for 24 days, destroying more than 6,800 structures, damaging countless others and forcing most of the neighborhood’s residents to move elsewhere.—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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Brown, who was beaten with metal poles, bitten and burned with cigarettes, had his front teeth ripped out with pliers, prosecutors said.—
Muri Assuncao,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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At such proximity, intense stellar heat vaporizes material from the planet's surface, which then streams into space, forming a blazing, comet-like tail.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
26 Dec. 2025
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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
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Moore also said that the department’s handling of the Lachman Fire — a small New Year’s Day 2025 brush fire that ignited in the Pacific Palisades, eventually leading to the Palisades Fire — wasn't good enough, KNBC added.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Investigators believe the fire started when a combine harvester in an agricultural field sent up some sort of sparks and ignited hay bales.—
Sarah Horbacewicz,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Blooms reach five inches across and appear in flaming red, pink, yellow, orange, and in all possible versions and mixtures of these colors.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
11 Oct. 2025
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Spotify also shared a graphic of the same design on Instagram, captioning it simply with a key emoji and flaming heart.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The coming days will see the lunar disk forge a path through the constellation Virgo ahead of its third quarter phase on Jan 10, when its left half will be lit by direct sunlight as its right is veiled in inky shadow.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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The 5-foot-wide trail is lit at night for evening adventures.—
Erika Ebsworth-Goold,
Midwest Living,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
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Then the ships are all aflame and there’s fire everywhere.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Dec. 2025
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When police exited their vehicle, some people began to jump on the hood of the car, and the cruiser was then hit by fireworks and set aflame.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
5 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kindled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kindled. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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