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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of kindled
Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
This spectacular success kindled a desire in Hersheypark officials to invest heavily in thrill rides.
—John Haddad, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
Traders and investors are laser-focused on the inflation being kindled by higher oil prices.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
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
Verb
America's hopes for its first high-speed rail were kindled in 2008, when California voters approved a ballot measure for a train connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco in less than three hours.
—Jon Wertheim, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
This spectacular success kindled a desire in Hersheypark officials to invest heavily in thrill rides.
—John Haddad, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026
Traders and investors are laser-focused on the inflation being kindled by higher oil prices.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
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
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
-
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
-
When money is received, the group works with wildlife managers if a location needs to be sheared, burned or bulldozed.—
Andrew Weeks,
Twin Cities,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Many paper records were burned when General Sherman’s army marched across the state in 1865.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For Houstonians who saw it, the fireball meteor that streaked across the East Texas sky last month was a brief, blazing moment of awe.—
Maliya Ellis,
Houston Chronicle,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In the Southwest, consider 'Cusp' blazing star—a late-blooming variety monarchs depend on during the end of summer.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Goodarzi’s job now is to stay focused on the business, which means pushing past the stock price and confronting the fear that ignited the sell-off—that the leading AI companies will eat software makers.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
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The fire ignited by spontaneous combustion.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Alex Tafoya was a much easier interview, even taking off his Ghost Rider flaming skull headpiece to talk.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Lili Reinhart’s coldly overbearing Apple (with lucious, flaming red hair) is their ringleader, Alexandra Shipp’s Fig is a science genius who lost her personality in a swirl of people pleasing, and Victoria Pedretti’s mentally fragile Cherry is Apple’s resident punching bag and fixer-upper project.—
Jada Yuan,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Stockton Kings faced a tough loss against the Greensboro Swarm for Game 1, but that lit a fire under the Kings going into Game 2 -- a must-win for the defending champions.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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MacKenzie Blackwood stopped 29 shots before finally yielding a goal late, while Gabe Landeskog, Martin Necas and Nathan MacKinnon all lit the lamp in a game that was not as close as the score indicated.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 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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Almost immediately, as the rumors were confirmed, gossip blogs and Reddit threads were aflame, monitoring how long this illicit relationship could have been going on while Ciara was none the wiser.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
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At a moment when the Middle East feels aflame, four people looking back at this planet from deep space didn’t see borders.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kindled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kindled. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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