variants
or smouldered
1
as in snarled
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
She smoldered when first learning of her son's misbehavior at school, but had calmed down by the time he arrived home.
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2
as in blazed
to be on fire usually with smoke but few flames
They look forward to those long summer nights telling stories beside a smoldering campfire.
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Recent Examples of smoldered
Smith beamed a luminous smile as Brosnan smoldered for the camera on the red carpet in 1995.
—
John Russell, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
Crews work to uncover and cool unused coal which has smoldered for 20 years near Florence, Colorado.
—Logan Smith, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Her decision to stop the publication of a 60 Minutes piece about a Salvadoran prison that had been cleared by others at the network sparked an internal fire that smoldered for weeks until the story eventually aired.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 30 Mar. 2026
For about a week, the fire smoldered at low intensity, doing its work on a patch of roughly 120 acres.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
The devices smoldered but did not explode.
—Daily News Staff, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
Oil depots in Tehran smoldered following overnight strikes by Israel.
—Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Oil depots in Tehran smoldered following overnight strikes by Israel.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Regional anger grows over strikes The war toll on civilian targets grew as Bahrain accused Iran of striking a desalination plant vital to drinking water supplies, and oil depots in Tehran smoldered following overnight Israeli strikes.
—Dallas Morning News, 8 Mar. 2026
John Russell, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
Crews work to uncover and cool unused coal which has smoldered for 20 years near Florence, Colorado.
—Logan Smith, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Her decision to stop the publication of a 60 Minutes piece about a Salvadoran prison that had been cleared by others at the network sparked an internal fire that smoldered for weeks until the story eventually aired.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 30 Mar. 2026
For about a week, the fire smoldered at low intensity, doing its work on a patch of roughly 120 acres.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
The devices smoldered but did not explode.
—Daily News Staff, New York Daily News, 9 Mar. 2026
Oil depots in Tehran smoldered following overnight strikes by Israel.
—Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Oil depots in Tehran smoldered following overnight strikes by Israel.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Chicago Tribune, 8 Mar. 2026
Regional anger grows over strikes The war toll on civilian targets grew as Bahrain accused Iran of striking a desalination plant vital to drinking water supplies, and oil depots in Tehran smoldered following overnight Israeli strikes.
—Dallas Morning News, 8 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoldered
Verb
-
Price pressures have only increased since the war with Iran snarled tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a spike in the cost of crude oil and gasoline.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
13 May 2026
-
But the Fed also followed that approach after the COVID-19 pandemic snarled global supply chains for goods, lifting prices for things such as cars, furniture and electronics.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
By that time, movies had become a key part of the marketing process, a trail blazed by Elvis Presley.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
-
The singer-dancer-actress (born Freda Josephine McDonald) blazed trails as the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture, the 1927 French silent film Siren of the Tropics.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Starmer also has angered supporters with attempts to cut welfare spending, some of which were reversed after Labour revolts.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
-
Buyers were angered after finding out that the new features would be released later than expected, the filing said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
And it's completely crashed and burned.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
The intense feud between the rappers burned bright in 2024, culminating with Lamar taking the Super Bowl halftime show stage and winning five Grammy Awards for the diss track.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The blushing singer was snapped getting a sweet smooch on the cheek from her big brother while backstage.—
John Russell,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
The Monarchs snapped a 3-3 tie with a five-run fourth inning to advance to the second round with a familiar drive.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The Grammy-winning R&B singer, 39, glowed in an all-white ERL suit, which combined a puffy, floor-length jacket with a retro-style shirt and enlarged bow tie.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
-
Feldstein glowed in a pink lacy dress, smiling as her wife Roberts placed a hand on her stomach.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Denver steamed through an 11-game winning streak, won the AFC West by three games and claimed the conference’s top seed a year ago.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
-
Rather, the fabric should be steamed from behind or from a distance.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Instead, the data revealed a planet in flux where areas brightened explosively in one year and dimmed sharply the next; regions flickered in rhythms tied to oil booms, armed conflicts, and pandemic lockdowns.—
Bree Shirvell,
Hartford Courant,
12 May 2026
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Not far from where the two sat, a customer service light flickered on and off, but no employees manned the help desk.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smoldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldered. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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