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 The blaze was just under a square mile (2 square kilometers) and 5% contained Saturday, when firefighters were still dousing water on smoldering debris from a home that burned. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 With little notice, a new outbreak could go from smoldering to explosive, or a virus only a coterie of experts cared about — think Zika — could become a global crisis. — Andrew Joseph, STAT, 13 Oct. 2026 Its headquarters were left smoldering on the banks of the Nile. — Abdelrahman Elgendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 Officials could not immediately identify the fatal fire victim, who was found dead inside the smoldering apartment. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for smolder

Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolder

Verb

Soon, other aggrieved groups—farmers, trade unionists, climate activists, yellow-vest protesters angered by rising costs—joined in, and the demonstrations that followed quickly became some of France’s most widespread and explosive since 1968.

— Maurice Samuels, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
Employers understandably worry that narrowing health benefits will anger workers.

— Tony Lo Sasso, STAT, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of anger

Verb

Lorraine Eiler stood in the blazing August sun, surrounded by reporters, to offer a warning.

— Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2026
Fires blazed at industrial and port installations, sending towering plumes of black smoke over families lunching by the seaside and children playing in the sand.

— Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of blaze

Verb

Dmitriev followed up by posting a meme about the new global world order — an American eagle and a Russian bear together snarling at a British lion over the fate of a fracturing European continent.

— Tom Jurkowsky, Baltimore Sun, 2 Nov. 2026
And a ruling for the Justice Department from the Supreme Court could snarl the process further.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of snarl

Verb

Pre-soirée, however, Vogue couldn’t resist the chance to catch a private moment with Carey and ask her some of our burning questions.

— Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026
Power lines, vehicles, machinery, burning of debris and campfires can spark fires year-round.

— Virginia Iglesias, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of burn

Verb

These were extraordinary, the shrimp steamed until the meat, lightly perfumed with ginger, snapped under the tooth, and the pleated wrapper held the right amount of chew.

— Christopher Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2026
Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani — steamed under a pastry crust and flavored with seasonings blended in India by Adi’s mother.

— Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of steam

Verb

That’s especially true in the Southeast, where there’s no shortage of uniquely thrilling opening acts from Chief Osceola and his flaming spear at Florida State to the eagle’s pre-game lap around Jordan Hare Stadium at Auburn.

— Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2026
The flaming tower is part of a component most often known in Russian by the acronym ELOU-AVT, shorthand for an Electric Desalting and Atmospheric-Vacuum Distillation Unit.

— Jarrett Ley, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of flame

Verb

In 2020, Ben Motal aptly persuaded the Court of Appeals that the FOIA's right to copy records includes photographing them, after Little Rock incredibly barred him from snapping a picture of an accident report.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
Once inside, the wiggly worm-bot can snap photos, administer drugs, and even take small biopsy samples.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of snap

Verb

The embers of romance begin to glow as Nora shows Joseph how to embrace the freedom of camp life.

— Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
Don’t miss wearable glass costumes, an interactive botanical soundscape, glowing geometric light sanctuaries, and works by Dale Chihuly and other modern masters.

— Kari Barnett, Sun Sentinel, 28 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 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of smolder

verb

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