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
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
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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Car buyers may face elevated prices and a shortage of some vehicles due to a supply chain snarled by tariffs and challenges accessing crucial materials, some industry experts told ABC News.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
23 Oct. 2025
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Air travel was snarled during the more than month-long government shutdown that ended in January 2019, hours after a shortfall of air traffic controllers disrupted flights in the New York area.—
Lillian Rizzo,Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Streetlamps were ignited, and storefront windows blazed with light.—
Robert Wyss,
The Conversation,
21 Oct. 2025
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But the trail's already been blazed, other companies have cleared the path forward and proven what's possible, and the Aridge team has proven itself capable of getting things built, if not preventing them from banging together.—
Loz Blain
October 16,
New Atlas,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Her visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which its nearest neighbors see as an homage to Japan’s past wartime aggressions, have also angered both of those nations.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
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One of the first things Kelly did was choose not to retain longtime strength coach Tommy Moffitt, which angered people around here at the time.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Currently, there are no details as to how much land has been burned or the size of the crew conducting the prescribed fire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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The town had burned to the ground, and most of the Spanish settlers were dead, either of disease or in violent disputes about gold with indigenous peoples.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The pair also snapped a sweet photo together at the reception, both smiling ear to ear for the shot.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
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In some images snapped inside the event, Gellar topped off her look with a polished black blazer.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
22 Oct. 2025
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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Gabrielle Union glowed with glossy lips and sky-high lashes, and Viola Davis added a playful edge with a pop of blue eyeliner.—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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News Round-Up The USA’s Under-20s steamed into the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Chile yesterday, wiping the floor with Italy.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Unlike most apple pie recipes, this one calls for the apples to be steamed in a steamer basket.—
Phoebe Evans,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If the flame flickered or bent, air movement was present, indicating a draft.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
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This summer, Kwame Nkrumah’s transatlantic legacy flickered back into view when Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary in the New York City mayoral race.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smoldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldered. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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