smoldered

verb

variants or smouldered
past tense of smolder
1
as in snarled
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

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 smoldered Prosecutors said the fire smoldered underground for a week before exploding into the deadly Palisades fire. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Smoke continued to rise from the twisted shards of metal, while the remains of the World Trade Center smoldered in a massive pile. — Sophia Leone, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2026 As the wreckage of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers smoldered, the United States commenced military operations in Afghanistan. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026 Prosecutors say the blaze allegedly started by Rinderknecht smoldered underground for days before exploding into the wildfire that killed 12 people, destroyed thousands of structures across Los Angeles County, and burned more than 23,000 acres. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 26 June 2026 In 2024, a Lineage facility in Washington state caught fire and smoldered for two months, Northwest Public Broadcasting reported. — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 22 June 2026 More specifically, the ’90s chemistry queen Rene Russo, who has smoldered onscreen with everyone from Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson to Pierce Brosnan and John Travolta. — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026 Smith beamed a luminous smile as Brosnan smoldered for the camera on the red carpet in 1995. — John Russell, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026 Crews work to uncover and cool unused coal which has smoldered for 20 years near Florence, Colorado. — Logan Smith, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoldered
  1. snarled
  2. blazed
  3. angered
  4. burned
  5. snapped
  6. glowed
  7. steamed
  8. flickered
Verb
  • One person died and two others were taken to hospitals Thursday after a crash involving a big rig that snarled traffic on Highway 99 in Elk Grove.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Analysts said that Democrats who proposed data center moratoriums won gubernatorial races in Texas, Georgia, and Ohio, raising fears that projects could get snarled in regulation or blocked by politicians.
    — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of snarled
Verb
  • Born in Obregón, Sonora, Mendivil is another one of the new wave of Mexican acts who fuses corridos alterados with trap — a trail also blazed by Rico o Muerto labelmates Maydón, Omar Camacho and Regulo Molina.
    — Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 5 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 blazed
Verb
  • Madigan’s downfall began with women angered by his handling of #MeToo incidents involving his campaign and government staff in 2017 and 2018.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
  • But others, particularly in Missouri, have been concerned and angered to see that their bills will soon go up, the second price hike for this year.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of angered
Verb
  • The tokens burned spitting out anti-Waymo opinions are part of a monthslong battle between Waymo and its rivals over whether the autonomous driving company can operate commercially on the streets of several major cities.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026
  • There was even a Panthers defensive stand in which the Broncos only burned 59 seconds and the Panthers had the ball, driving, with two minutes left in the game — only five points down.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of burned
Verb
  • Sidney Crosby scored two goals while moving into sole possession of sixth place on the NHL's career scoring list, and the Pittsburgh Penguins snapped their four-game skid with a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Sidney Crosby scored two goals while moving into sole possession of sixth place on the NHL’s career scoring list, and the Pittsburgh Penguins snapped their four-game skid with a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of snapped
Verb
  • Down the hallway inside the black box theater, a light installation by Studio GUMGUM glowed like radioactive flora.
    — Laura Regensdorf, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Their living structures glowed at night a hundred miles up and down the coast.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of glowed
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 steamed
Verb
  • Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater as shocked residents looked on in horror.
    — David Fischer, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Flames flickered around chunks of pavement lining the crater as residents looked on in horror.
    — David Fischer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of flickered

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smolder
smoldered
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Cite this Entry

“Smoldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldered. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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