variants
or smouldered
1
as in burnt
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
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
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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Christmas Eve travel was briefly snarled as the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all American Airlines flights Tuesday.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC News,
25 Dec. 2024
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Earlier this year, UnitedHealthcare suffered a massive ransomware attack, which leaked info on over 100 million people and snarled healthcare for weeks despite a $22 million payment to the attackers.—
Wes Davis,
The Verge,
4 Dec. 2024
Verb
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From up in the rafters, a single spotlight coldly blazed.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
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In part, James and Elizabeth Murdoch, who blazed their own separate trails in the media business, had concerns about Fox News and the close affiliation of the news network with the family.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, sharp spending cuts have angered many, while corruption allegations against senior officials have dented his party’s odds ahead of next month’s vote, which could determine the future of Milei’s presidency.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Some of the most passionate television fans are those who watch Big Brother, and the latest game twist has angered them, creating a backlash on social media.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Historic data In 2024, California experienced 305 fires caused by lightning, resulting in 90,206 acres of wildland burned, according to NIFC records.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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This applies universally to how 40-somethings view 50-somethings; 40-something women mostly covet 50-something men because they’ve been burned by their same-age spouses and want a grown-up.—
Linsey Hughes,
Flow Space,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Quarterback and comedian snapped a picture together.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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Rhamondre Stevenson also out-snapped the rookie 46 to 25 on offense, a ratio that ought to even out considering Henderson was the only one who broke a tackle between them.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The music thumped away, though at reduced volume, the bats performed their acrobatics over the pool, the hash pipe glowed, people began to yawn.—
T. Coraghessan Boyle,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
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Some cells glowed brightly due to high activity, others dimmed with weaker expression, while some switched off entirely.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The one-Michelin-star kitchen highlights Cantonese dishes, from Xing grouper steamed in lotus leaves to a too-pretty-to-eat tofu chrysanthemum flower.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
2 Sep. 2025
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Instead, green tea leaves are dried and often rolled or steamed to preserve their flavor and aroma before being packaged as loose leaves or in tea bags.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The British supermodel brought her A-game to the fall campaign shoot, throwing her hands up in the air and letting her hair fly as the club lights pulsed and strobes flickered around her.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
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Street lights flickered on, even though the sunset wasn’t for another hour.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smoldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldered. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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