variants
or smouldered
1
as in burnt
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 blazed
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 smoldered
Throughout the 2000s, the actor smoldered on series like Dawson's Creek (2001–2002), and One Tree Hill (2003–2012), not to mention the films A Cinderella Story (2004) and House of Wax (2005).
—
Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The cause and aftermath of the explosions remain under investigation by state and federal agencies, but questions of improper permitting and licensing, and the appearance of local conflicts of interest, began surfacing as the remnants of the property still smoldered.
—Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The cause and aftermath of the explosions remain under investigation by state and federal agencies, but questions of improper permitting and licensing, and the appearance of local conflicts of interest, began surfacing as the remnants of the property still smoldered.
—Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoldered
Verb
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Christmas Eve travel was briefly snarled as the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all American Airlines flights Tuesday.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC News,
25 Dec. 2024
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Earlier this year, UnitedHealthcare suffered a massive ransomware attack, which leaked info on over 100 million people and snarled healthcare for weeks despite a $22 million payment to the attackers.—
Wes Davis,
The Verge,
4 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Either way, the young guns blazed through the trials.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
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Homicide detectives launched an investigation in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, after a festivalgoer reported finding the body as the festival's iconic giant effigy blazed at the site, authorities confirmed Sunday.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Robert Bianco, a longtime TV critic for USA Today, emphasized how strongly Levin supported him even when Bianco’s reviews angered Levin’s sources.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
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Platner also worked as a contractor for Constellis, a successor to the security company Blackwater, which has angered some online activists.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Court Fire has burned five acres of private land.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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This, too, helps explain why Cracker Barrel got burned so badly.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The picture was a cozy, smiley selfie featuring the trio, and appeared to have been snapped in cooler weather.—
Kayla Grant,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Andrew Alvarez allowed one hit over five innings in his major-league debut as the Washington Nationals snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over the visiting Miami Marlins on Monday.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The scientists were also able to create modified phosphors that glowed in colors like green, red, and blue.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
28 Aug. 2025
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The wristbands on every concert attendees' wrist glowed bright red and the crowd roared.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The one-Michelin-star kitchen highlights Cantonese dishes, from Xing grouper steamed in lotus leaves to a too-pretty-to-eat tofu chrysanthemum flower.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
2 Sep. 2025
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Instead, green tea leaves are dried and often rolled or steamed to preserve their flavor and aroma before being packaged as loose leaves or in tea bags.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Street lights flickered on, even though the sunset wasn’t for another hour.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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In an attempt to save the lives of those in the flooding shelter, Major Brittle rapidly flickered lights, like Morse code, trying to get the attention of helicopters.—
Sophia Leone,
FOXNews.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smoldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldered. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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