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
Richards, who was married to actor Charlie Sheen at the time of her Playboy cover, smoldered for the camera while standing on a black spiral staircase in her nostalgic Halloween look.
—
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
A week later the same fire, which had likely smoldered underground, reemerged and became known as the Palisades Fire.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025
Authorities have arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, accusing him of purposefully igniting a New Year’s Day fire that smoldered for days and later exploded into the deadly Palisades Fire that devastated California.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old man accused of setting the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history, likely used a lighter to start a small fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground for days before reigniting in high winds and killing 12 people, federal authorities said Wednesday.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The fire smoldered for a week before reigniting under heavy winds and growing into the Palisades Fire.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Some buildings still smoldered from the fires of the day before, and soldiers carrying rifles enforced a nationwide curfew.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Throughout the 2000s, the actor smoldered on series like Dawson's Creek (2001–2002), and One Tree Hill (2003–2012), not to mention the films A Cinderella Story (2004) and House of Wax (2005).
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The cause and aftermath of the explosions remain under investigation by state and federal agencies, but questions of improper permitting and licensing, and the appearance of local conflicts of interest, began surfacing as the remnants of the property still smoldered.
—Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
A week later the same fire, which had likely smoldered underground, reemerged and became known as the Palisades Fire.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025
Authorities have arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, accusing him of purposefully igniting a New Year’s Day fire that smoldered for days and later exploded into the deadly Palisades Fire that devastated California.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old man accused of setting the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history, likely used a lighter to start a small fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground for days before reigniting in high winds and killing 12 people, federal authorities said Wednesday.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The fire smoldered for a week before reigniting under heavy winds and growing into the Palisades Fire.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Some buildings still smoldered from the fires of the day before, and soldiers carrying rifles enforced a nationwide curfew.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Throughout the 2000s, the actor smoldered on series like Dawson's Creek (2001–2002), and One Tree Hill (2003–2012), not to mention the films A Cinderella Story (2004) and House of Wax (2005).
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The cause and aftermath of the explosions remain under investigation by state and federal agencies, but questions of improper permitting and licensing, and the appearance of local conflicts of interest, began surfacing as the remnants of the property still smoldered.
—Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoldered
Verb
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Commuters forced to drive to work also faced snarled traffic on some highways.—
Mike Corder,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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The weather snarled traffic along the I-95 corridor and disrupted air travel.—
Kristin Wright,
NPR,
27 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Horrific escape As smoke filled the lounge and the fire blazed, partygoers rushed toward a narrow staircase.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
2 Jan. 2026
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The rings are ripples created when a small blue dwarf galaxy—visible to the left of LEDA 1313424 in Hubble’s image—blazed through the Bullseye’s heart about 50 million years ago.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Like Francis, Leo has faced criticism from conservative US Catholics and MAGA supporters, angered by his comments on migration and climate change.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Obama’s enthusiastic showings for both candidates was a test of whether his sway over the Democratic Party still remains after his support for Harris failed to boost her to the White House a year ago and angered black male voters who felt unfairly accused of sexism.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 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
Verb
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Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high seven assists, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and the New York Knicks snapped their four-game losing streak with a 123-111 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, 11 rebounds and a season-high seven assists, Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and the New York Knicks snapped their four-game losing streak with a 123-111 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday night.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even from a boat, the gleaming white of bleached and dead corals glowed from beneath the surface.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
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The ground cover glowed gold and red.—
Gloria Liu,
Outside Online,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Oysters in the shell should be steamed for four to nine minutes in a steamer that’s already steaming.—
Katia Hetter,
CNN Money,
31 Dec. 2025
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Filled with chicken, cilantro, green onions, cabbage, soy sauce, and garlic, they can be cooked in the microwave, steamed, or pan-fried.—
Heather Riske,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Streetlights flickered before large parts of the city were plunged into darkness, as a thick fog settled over the streets and temperatures plummeted to –5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit).—
Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
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By early Sunday afternoon, power was restored to parts of the Richmond District, drawing cheers from residents when lights flickered back on.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smoldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldered. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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