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
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
-
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
-
The fires burned most of Nob Hill where the railroad barons lived.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Yet the Baywatch blunder still prompted a scorching Substack post from Bass’ opponent Spencer Pratt, the reality TV veteran turned Internet influencer who, after the Pacific Palisades wildfire burned his home, is running as an anti-establishment outsider with a focus on government negligence.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
17 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
-
Colorado got back into the game and ignited the crowd with a pair of goals over a four-minute span, as Rafael Navarro and Darren Yapi slipped behind Miami’s defense, which looked disorganized and vulnerable in those moments.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
19 Apr. 2026
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New surveillance video from inside a Brooklyn liquor store shows another angle of the rough mistaken identity arrest that ignited a firestorm of criticism, offering a different angle as one of the detectives appears to stomp the prone suspect.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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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But a heated argument coming from a house in Lee’s neighborhood became the next spark that lit a narrative fuse.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers star point guard who lit last year’s NBA Playoffs on fire, is headed to Hollywood — but not via some sort of trade to the Los Angeles Lakers or Clippers.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
17 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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An Instagram post by New York City councilman Chi Ossé's was the spark that set the discourse aflame.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
17 Apr. 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Kindled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kindled. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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