variants
or smoulder
1
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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Sink stars as Shelby, a smoldering outcast amongst her classmates who isn’t afraid to speak truth to power.
—
Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Scorpio: Wilhelmina Slater Ruthless and hyper-focused on taking the throne as editor-in-chief of Mode, Wilhelmina's intense ambition, strategic mind and transformative journey of highs and lows reflect the essence of smoldering Scorpio.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Under the glare of the desert floodlights, a title fight that has been quietly smoldering since Melbourne has now erupted into an open flame.
—Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
This spaceflight feels like a training mission for the billionaire fantasy of escaping Earth’s smoldering husk.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Scorpio: Wilhelmina Slater Ruthless and hyper-focused on taking the throne as editor-in-chief of Mode, Wilhelmina's intense ambition, strategic mind and transformative journey of highs and lows reflect the essence of smoldering Scorpio.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Under the glare of the desert floodlights, a title fight that has been quietly smoldering since Melbourne has now erupted into an open flame.
—Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
This spaceflight feels like a training mission for the billionaire fantasy of escaping Earth’s smoldering husk.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolder
Verb
-
Any effort to rename the body of water would likely deeply anger Iran, which was historically called Persia, and perhaps other Middle Eastern states as well.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2025
-
The English-for-truckers push has particularly angered me, though.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2025
Verb
-
An Early Start On May 17 Daylight had already been blazing across Tromsø’s hills for hours when the day’s events began.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
-
African cinema has arrived in Cannes determined to blaze its own trail amid signs of a slowdown in investment across the continent from the world’s leading streamers.—
Kevin Cassidy,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
In another episode, Carême participates in a national cooking competition, judged by a snarling food critic who has a pet monkey for some reason.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
8 May 2025
-
Offices closed and traffic was snarled in Madrid and Lisbon, while some civilians in Barcelona directed traffic.—
Renata Brito and Barry Hatton,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2023
-
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.—
Neeti Mehra,
Treehugger,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
-
Romito’s fried chicken is the signature item for good reason — steamed at 154 degrees, marinated in herbs, and then pressure-fried for ten minutes to lock in moisture and keep the meat tender and light.—
Lindsey Tramuta,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 May 2025
-
The unstoppable Baeza had steamed away strongly from the peloton of sixteen runners swimming in the mud behind him and was blazing up on the outside, deep in a furious bid to run Journalism down.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Verb
-
Through the Looking Glass (2015) Most on-theme: Rihanna Yes, Sarah Jessica Parker wore what appeared to be a flaming headdress.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
EW.com,
5 May 2025
-
On stage with her family last night, Bey wore a Loewe crystal white and black-piped cowboy shirt and a flowing ruby red check skirt, with flaming thigh high cowboy boots.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
Verb
-
Image courtesy of the researchers View 3 Images View gallery - 3 images Researchers in the Netherlands have created mechanical structures that strangely shrink – or more precisely, snap inward – instead of stretching outward when pulled.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
15 May 2025
-
Reid gamely starts snapping, bending down to get the right angle.—
Lucy Feldman,
Time,
15 May 2025
Verb
-
This pageant of puppetry includes a flutter of butterflies, a goat with a plaintive bleat, a menagerie of wild animals and, at one point, a school of glowing fish.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2025
-
They can be dusted lightly for a barely-there glow or layered for vibrant drama.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smolder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolder. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share