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.
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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.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smolder
Special effects smoldered the stage as SiR and his band settled in for a just-over-an-hour-long set.
—
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 25 July 2025
Some smoldering and creeping fire behavior can be expected with backing and flanking into Wooley Creek tributary drainages.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 12 July 2025
These include pertussis – also known as whooping cough – which has sickened more than 10,000 Americans and killed five children this year, as well as a smoldering outbreak of measles that has killed three people in the US and threatens to end the country’s elimination status.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 July 2025
This is not the smoldering Elvis played by Austin Butler in the Baz Luhrman film bio.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 25 July 2025
Some smoldering and creeping fire behavior can be expected with backing and flanking into Wooley Creek tributary drainages.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 12 July 2025
These include pertussis – also known as whooping cough – which has sickened more than 10,000 Americans and killed five children this year, as well as a smoldering outbreak of measles that has killed three people in the US and threatens to end the country’s elimination status.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 July 2025
This is not the smoldering Elvis played by Austin Butler in the Baz Luhrman film bio.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolder
Verb
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In light of Collins recently being hospitalized for knee surgery, his fans were actually jarred and angered by an AI image of McCartney supposedly visiting him under far more dire circumstances.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
11 Aug. 2025
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Meanwhile, Russia stood back when Azerbaijan reclaimed control of Karabakh in the September 2023 offensive, angering Armenia, which has moved to shed Russian influence and turn westward.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That 3,000-nit display is wild, staying readable in blazing sun and underwater.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
6 Aug. 2025
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Wildfire season in the US is far from over, and smoke issues will persist as long as fires blaze.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The heavy rains are turning the evening commute into a nightmare, as flooding conditions necessitated the closure of several popular routes in and out of the city Thursday afternoon, while traffic was snarled on the LIRR.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
31 July 2025
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What might have been a mundane summer rainstorm at one time led to flooding that killed at least two people, destroyed property and snarled travel across three states.—
Mark Gongloff,
Mercury News,
23 July 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Loud marching bands paraded randomly through the cobblestoned streets and alleys, food vendors attracted crowds with their steaming hot Cervelat and St. Galler bratwurst, plates of creamy raclette, and fresh pints of local beer.—
Ben Davidson Correspondent,
Oc Register,
6 Aug. 2025
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Michael Mann–style shots of characters considering their lives while staring into the middle distance at crashing waves or steaming fields of lava are beautiful and plentiful.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But translated into presidential pictures, the ballroom is actually one and a third football fields, 15 flaming Hindenburgs, or alternatively, three Trump Tower apartments based on their property fraud size.—
Pat Beall,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Aug. 2025
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The flaming parachutes burnt up in 2.3 to three seconds each take, so Cruise had to think fast — 16 times in a row.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
5 June 2025
Verb
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He’s interrupted by a Panera employee, snapping Briney out of his trance.—
Sabrina Weiss,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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The tornadoes damaged homes; uprooted, damaged or snapped numerous trees; snapped utility poles and destroyed outbuildings, according to the Weather Service.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Flaky croissants warm in glowing bakeries, accordion notes drift through the air, and lovers linger by the Seine.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts will glow orange, as well.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smolder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolder. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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