SMOULDER Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

smolder

verb

variants or smoulder

Definition of smolder

as in to anger

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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Dissimilar Words

as in to blaze

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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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 smolder So here was Hynde, an American girl with a smoldering stare, and her three British male back-up musicians. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026 There were scenes of smoldering buildings and then a plume of smoke and debris as the first tower collapsed. — Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 To find their bodies, that afternoon Comella and other firemen traversed the steep, smoldering steel mountain using a series of ladders, a process not unlike the way trekkers negotiate the treacherous Khumbu ice fall at the base of Mount Everest. — Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026 Rounding out the crew was Smith as smoldering ingenue Kelly Garrett (Smith originally was cast as Sabrina, until Jackson decided the role was better for her). — Michael Callahan, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for smolder

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolder

Verb

The housing crunch has been simmering for years in Spain, eating into household budgets and angering voters.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
Although the Biennale eventually restored the name, the decision angered China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan.

— Vivienne Chow, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of anger

Verb

The Bouquet fire grows in Angeles National Forest The fire is blazing amid soaring heat across Southern California that has sent temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above normal.

— Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
After rising into the 90s last week, Sacramento topped out with a blazing high of 99 degrees on Saturday, while other parts of the Central Valley breached 100 degrees (looking at you Redding).

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of blaze

Verb

Since 2024, the company has made clear its traditional customer base just isn’t all that interested in a car that doesn’t come with a snarling combustion engine.

— Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 2 Oct. 2026
Starting Saturday evening and continuing into Sunday morning’s high tide, the ocean poured into urban cities up and down the coast, breaking a recent record for flooding in Fort Lauderdale and snarling traffic in both counties.

— Alex Harris Updated September 27, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of snarl

Verb

Oura might not be under the same pressure to access capital as a cash-burning startup.

— Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026
The scene is a sensory one, with layered cowhide rugs, leather armchairs, a wood-burning fire, and twinkling chandeliers that were original to the Pulitzers’ home.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of burn

Verb

Shawn, his parents, and the stranger were sitting around the dining table, their bowls of rice steaming before them, when the knock came.

— Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
As America steams headlong into November, working-class folks are still at loggerheads with its political class.

— Jim Beaugez, Rolling Stone, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of steam

Verb

Ali, trembling from the effects of Parkinson’s disease but with strength still evident, held the flaming torch aloft.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Meanwhile, a user named dedsheeran captioned a video of a flaming car accident with links to several organizations providing aid in Palestine, including Gaza Soup Kitchen, UNRWA, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and Doctors Without Borders.

— Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of flame

Verb

This image, snapped by the European Space Agency's IRIDE satellite fleet back in May of this year, shows the Venetian Lagoon, a bay of the Adriatic Sea that encompasses the city of Venice.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2026
The Russell 2000 is down more than 6% this quarter, putting it on pace to snap a winning streak of five consecutive quarters.

— Alex Harring, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of snap

Verb

Acupressure targets specific points, including spots roughly a finger’s length below your pupils and beside your nose, which NuFace says can promote a glowing complexion by improving circulation.

— Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Frøya takes a botanical route to glow and tone instead, leaning on sea buckthorn and rosehip instead.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of glow

Browse Nearby Words

smoky

smolder

smoldered

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Smolder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolder. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of smolder

verb

Example Sentences

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