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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of smoldered
The Vampire Lestat Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson smoldered through the first two seasons of AMC's supernatural period drama Interview With the Vampire.
—
Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
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
Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoldered
Verb
-
Traffic was snarled on Interstate 70 and other key arteries because of some combination of vague signage on parking passes or apps, accidents earlier in the afternoon, the lack of dedicated lanes for the bus system — why oh why couldn’t that be achieved in the master plan?—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
-
An overnight traffic crash snarled traffic early Tuesday along Interstate 96 in Livingston County, Michigan.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Only four days later, on March 21, another cosmic fragment blazed across the skies of Texas.—
Shawn Laatsch,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
-
Running back Jonathon Brooks, who is returning from back-to-back ACL surgeries on his right knee, caught a pass across the middle from Young and blazed down the field through traffic.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
In 2022, a prominent former member of the national team was arrested for allegedly protesting against the country’s leadership, and star striker Sardar Azmoun wasn’t selected for the World Cup squad this year, reportedly because of a social media post that angered authorities.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
-
The four leaders have also angered Trump by criticizing how he’s gone about executing the war and his lack of consultation with allies before jumping into a conflict that’s hurt the global economy as oil prices have surged.—
Aamer Madhani,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The Coptic Fire has burned 1,680 acres and was 40% contained.—
Lissette Gonzalez,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
-
Last year, the Palisades, Eaton and Hughes fires burned a total of almost 50,000 acres in the Los Angeles area in January, but the state’s four biggest wildfires started in July and August.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
Toronto Blue Jays Add Former AL West Outfielder After an American League West division team cut ties with a young outfielder, the Blue Jays quickly snapped him up.—
Peter Chawaga,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
-
Neither team scored after López snapped a 1-all tie in the fourth when his line drive rolled to the warning track in right and scored Stowers from first.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
After exposing the bones to a high-energy blue light, the team used an optical filter to see which of them glowed red.—
Sahas Mehra,
Scientific American,
19 June 2026
-
The sandstone bowl of a stadium built in 1924 glowed gold.—
Jonathan Cohen,
SPIN,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
But don’t miss the crispy duck and walnut, and matsutake steamed chicken at the equally satisfying but more casual Yunnan specialty restaurant, Horizon.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 June 2026
-
Bulgur is made from whole wheat kernels that have been steamed, dried and then crushed, giving it a tender texture and a subtle nutty flavor.—
Linda Gassenheimer,
Boston Herald,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
SportsCenter flickered on several televisions.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
10 June 2026
-
In the Florida Keys, lights flickered and boats rocked a bit more than usual.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smoldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldered. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
