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

Abiy also angered Somalia by trying to negotiate access to the sea via the territory of Somaliland.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
That is, Lamashtu spoke out about something that angered and disgusted the divine patriarch, and she was cast down to earth.

— Eleanor Johnson, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of anger

Verb

Deborah looks to blaze her own trail at Hillman, but the historically Black college is facing financial challenges, forcing her to quickly emerge as a leader.

— Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026
If first seasons are when new designers demonstrate their brand knowledge, then second and third are when designers start to blaze their own paths while evolving the fashion house.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of blaze

Verb

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
The prolonged war in Ukraine has also snarled global wheat trade through the Black Sea, compounding economic effects and undermining food security in vulnerable countries.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of snarl

Verb

This photograph shows a fire burning at the Dobrobut medical centre following a Russian aerial attack on Kyiv on 28 September 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Continue reading … CHIPS OFF THE TABLE — Former Obama aide says Democratic donors still feel burned, cautious after 2024.

— , FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of burn

Verb

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
Their Bell helicopters collided midair, sending flaming wreckage above the heads of horrified drivers on the Pasadena Freeway.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of flame

Verb

The $74 million mission was designed to snap photographs of Mars and study the planet's atmosphere for up to 10 months, but did perform science for over a year and continued to orbit the Red Planet through October 2022.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 24 Sep. 2026
At Meta’s campus, crowds lined up outside for the keynote speech as people snapped photos with a furry mascot called Jolly for the company’s AI agent Muse.

— Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of snap

Verb

Local baking star Colossus Bread has expanded to a full restaurant setting right by the waterfront, earning a glowing Times review.

— Daniel Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
The tool relies on a soluble liquid substitute that glows during the reaction, reducing measurement times to minutes and enabling rapid evaluation of large libraries of enzyme variants.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 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 30 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of smolder

verb

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