variants
or smoulders
1
as in snarls
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 blazes
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 smolders
Blood orange and saffron ignite the air, myrrh smolders beneath, and the woods hum with market heat.
—
Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolders
Verb
-
The record was created with Shellback and Max Martin in between shows on the career-spanning Eras Tour, which lit a fire in the singer-songwriter that blazes across each of its 12 tracks.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Last year, dry fall weather in Southern California played a role in fueling major fires, like the Eaton and Palisades blazes, only weeks before the state’s typical period of atmospheric river storm events.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
At its heart sits Viti, a striking blue crater lake that steams invitingly in contrast to the stark black landscape.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
-
CookingPal’s gadget suggests meals, fetches recipes, chops, stirs, and steams ingredients, and then cleans up after itself.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Jan. 2020
Verb
-
Key Takeaways The number of calories a person burns during a mile run averages around 100, but there is considerable variation depending on several factors, especially weight.—
Nancy LeBrun,
Verywell Health,
8 Oct. 2025
-
In fact, Anderson is laughing at both sides while the world burns.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And nothing angers the Survivor gods more than reality TV hubris.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Kirk assassination angers and unsettles leaders, residents The assassination of Kirk, which happened in front of hundreds of people and was captured on video and widely circulated on social media, has in particular rattled the nation and drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum.—
Mark Vancleave,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This is why Dijon’s language works best as sound, not narrative—his rangy, raspy voice seethes and triumphs, mocks and threatens; there’s no world in which his polygonal perspective can be discerned from a lyric sheet.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In the endless daylight of the Arctic summer, the tapetum lucidum, a mirror-like layer behind the retina, glows golden, reflecting light efficiently to prevent overexposure.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Under federal law, trunks of cars built after 2002 are required to contain a mechanical release lever inside the trunk that is easy to find and glows in the dark.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Robinson played 19 defensive snaps and 18 special teams snaps in his NFL debut.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
-
That conflict comes to a head in the middle of campus in the film’s most intense scene, as Alma verbally belittles and demeans her until Maggie snaps and suddenly smacks her mentor.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Her debut, Sayonara Bar, flickers around the characters frequenting a Japanese hostess lounge, while The Incarnations traces a single soul across a thousand years.—
Neil McRobert,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The deep green glass vessel, etched with vertical lines reminiscent of towering tree trunks, shifts from khaki to warm browns and golden yellows as the flame flickers, casting a hypnotic glow that’s as enchanting as its aroma.—
Michael Stefanov,
Robb Report,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smolders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolders. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share