variants
or smouldered
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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Recent Examples of smoldered
Oil depots in Tehran smoldered following overnight strikes by Israel.
—
Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Regional anger grows over strikes The war toll on civilian targets grew as Bahrain accused Iran of striking a desalination plant vital to drinking water supplies, and oil depots in Tehran smoldered following overnight Israeli strikes.
—Dallas Morning News, 8 Mar. 2026
The Griselda actress smoldered in a bright red strapless gown with a plunging sweetheart neckline, a corset-style bodice, and a form-fitting silhouette that subtly flared out into a mermaid design around her knees.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
Richards, who was married to actor Charlie Sheen at the time of her Playboy cover, smoldered for the camera while standing on a black spiral staircase in her nostalgic Halloween look.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
A week later the same fire, which had likely smoldered underground, reemerged and became known as the Palisades Fire.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025
Authorities have arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, accusing him of purposefully igniting a New Year’s Day fire that smoldered for days and later exploded into the deadly Palisades Fire that devastated California.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old man accused of setting the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history, likely used a lighter to start a small fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground for days before reigniting in high winds and killing 12 people, federal authorities said Wednesday.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The fire smoldered for a week before reigniting under heavy winds and growing into the Palisades Fire.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Alex Veiga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Regional anger grows over strikes The war toll on civilian targets grew as Bahrain accused Iran of striking a desalination plant vital to drinking water supplies, and oil depots in Tehran smoldered following overnight Israeli strikes.
—Dallas Morning News, 8 Mar. 2026
The Griselda actress smoldered in a bright red strapless gown with a plunging sweetheart neckline, a corset-style bodice, and a form-fitting silhouette that subtly flared out into a mermaid design around her knees.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
Richards, who was married to actor Charlie Sheen at the time of her Playboy cover, smoldered for the camera while standing on a black spiral staircase in her nostalgic Halloween look.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
A week later the same fire, which had likely smoldered underground, reemerged and became known as the Palisades Fire.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2025
Authorities have arrested 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht, accusing him of purposefully igniting a New Year’s Day fire that smoldered for days and later exploded into the deadly Palisades Fire that devastated California.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old man accused of setting the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles history, likely used a lighter to start a small fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground for days before reigniting in high winds and killing 12 people, federal authorities said Wednesday.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
The fire smoldered for a week before reigniting under heavy winds and growing into the Palisades Fire.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoldered
Verb
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In addition to Israel, Iran’s attacks have targeted their Arab neighbors, disrupted oil supplies and snarled global air travel.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Iran's attacks have targeted their Arab neighbors, disrupted oil supplies and snarled global air travel.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At least as memorable was a New Year’s Eve show at the Tune Inn in downtown New Haven where the band blazed brightly.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
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The hotel had announced its intention to reopen by March 5 back in February, days after a two-alarm fire blazed through the walls of a third-floor bathroom and attic space in the historic Alexander Agassiz manor, central to the resort.—
Savana Dunning,
The Providence Journal,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Per The New York Times, lawyers told Judge Arun Subramanian in court on Monday that Live Nation and the DOJ settled on Thursday, which angered Subramanian as the judge hadn’t been briefed on the settlement Friday.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Mar. 2026
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Vladimir, angered by this revelation because Cynthia is supposed to be sober, tackles him to the ground.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Some discussions may get a little heated, but sticking to the facts should cool them off before anyone gets burned.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Dessert highlights include Basque burnt cheesecake with warm sherry caramel or espresso flan.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Stuelke was scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting and had only three rebounds as Iowa’s eight-game winning streak was snapped.—
Michael Marot,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
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The security guard had snapped a photo of the toddler and the woman accompanying her.—
Sydney Page The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Sludge subjected to a fire burning at 1,550 degrees Fahrenheit glowed bright orange.—
Alex Kuffner,
The Providence Journal,
3 Mar. 2026
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What if the warm beacon of home glowed with the patriotic colors of a mid-tier gas station logo?—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The dish is topped with a final wonton layer and a bit of chicken broth or water, then steamed in a steamer for about 25 minutes.—
Joseph Erbentraut,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Mar. 2026
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Green Tea Green tea is made from fresh tea leaves that are steamed at high temperatures, which helps preserve their high polyphenol content.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Candlelight flickered against vibrant tanzanite, sky blue topaz and canary yellow diamonds on Tuesday night at Sunset Tower Hotel, where Pomellato gathered brand ambassadors and celebrity stylists to mark the reopening of its Beverly Hills flagship, unveiled in October.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Officers captured the scene using a drone, which showed the man balancing on the unicycle as flames flickered just feet from passing vehicles.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smoldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldered. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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