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.
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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.
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolders
Verb
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The northern line of the Patton Meadow Fire blazes over a ridgeline on August 16, 2021, near Lakeview, Oregon.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
-
Theirs was a life together cut off in its infancy, but still the flame burns bright.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
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The spark becomes a blaze, and trust between citizens and the military burns with it.—
Eric Chastain,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Silence only angers the other, and exacerbates their criticism and contempt.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Season 2 picks up after Kimmie marries businessman Horace Bellarie, inheriting a new sense of power that angers her in-laws, Netflix said in its release.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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Its central glass dome—home to the swimming paradise—glows like a lantern at dusk.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
At the absolute highest energies, the Moon glows with a light all its own, powered by nuclear recoils, and irrespective of any light, or anything at all, emitted by the Sun.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Finally, a dash of cranberry bitters snaps everything into focus, leaving a tart, ruby-toned finish that lingers just long enough to invite another sip.—
Aly Walansky,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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The lens uses a high-response linear actuator (HLA) system that snaps focus from near to distant targets in an instant.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Over dinner, a broadcast flickers on the cabin’s dusty TV.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
28 Aug. 2025
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The glowing phenomenon appears as rays, spirals and flickers that most commonly manifest in hues of red and green.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
19 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Smolders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolders. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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