variants
or smouldering
as in flickering
being on fire with no visible flames but often with much smoke
All that was left of the campfire were smoldering embers.
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variants
or smouldering
1
as in snarling
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 blazing
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 smoldering
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
Nathaniel Percy, Daily News, 8 June 2026
Crew members dropped water into the Tiger Fire from a helicopter, but the fire is still smoldering as of Sunday.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 8 June 2026
Defense attorneys had planned to include testimony from a firefighter that the earlier fire was visibly smoldering when first responders left the scene.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
The attack on Sumner poured gasoline on a smoldering fire.
—Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
There’s no such thing as casual under this Water sign’s smoldering gaze, and with Luna immediately clashing with both Mars in Taurus and Pluto retrograde in Aquarius, tensions could escalate quickly if frustrations, insecurities or power struggles have been simmering beneath the surface.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
This transfer station caught fire a few years ago, smoldering for nearly two weeks and releasing toxic fumes into the air.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 27 May 2026
The nose presents an assertive mix of bonfire smoke, iodine, and smoldering oak, alongside vanilla, toffee, and ripe tropical fruit.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Just like the rest of us, an NFL locker room has smoldering tensions that are ready to explode.
—Candace Buckner, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Adjective
Casting two of the most smoldering contemporary actors on the planet clearly stacks the deck, and carries on the long tradition of pairing a dashing figure of brooding handsomeness (Laurence Olivier, Ralph Fiennes) with a breathless screen beauty (Merle Oberon, Juliette Binoche).
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
Prosecutors allege Rinderknecht maliciously started the Lachman fire, in the Pacific Palisades on New Year’s Day, which continued smoldering underground for six days before fierce winds brought it back to the surface, starting what became the Palisades fire.
—Nathaniel Percy, Daily News, 8 June 2026
Crew members dropped water into the Tiger Fire from a helicopter, but the fire is still smoldering as of Sunday.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 8 June 2026
Defense attorneys had planned to include testimony from a firefighter that the earlier fire was visibly smoldering when first responders left the scene.
—ABC News, 7 June 2026
The attack on Sumner poured gasoline on a smoldering fire.
—Rob Wolfe, The Atlantic, 5 June 2026
There’s no such thing as casual under this Water sign’s smoldering gaze, and with Luna immediately clashing with both Mars in Taurus and Pluto retrograde in Aquarius, tensions could escalate quickly if frustrations, insecurities or power struggles have been simmering beneath the surface.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
This transfer station caught fire a few years ago, smoldering for nearly two weeks and releasing toxic fumes into the air.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 27 May 2026
The nose presents an assertive mix of bonfire smoke, iodine, and smoldering oak, alongside vanilla, toffee, and ripe tropical fruit.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Just like the rest of us, an NFL locker room has smoldering tensions that are ready to explode.
—Candace Buckner, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoldering
Adjective
-
This year, the rumors swirl, a constant, low hum: Outer Heaven and Cuatro Gato, two more flickering lights, are expected to fade.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
-
But there’s more flickering contrast in Narayan van Maele’s lensing, which alternates dun realism with occasionally hyperreal lighting and composition, particularly when the pagan promise of fire is in the frame.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2022
Verb
-
Ukrainian drones now pummel industrial targets across Russia nightly, shutting down oil refineries, snarling logistics, and forcing airports to close for days at a time.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
-
Laurie plays the snarling, villainous Richard Roper in the BBC and Prime Video’s big-budget adaptation of le Carré’s The Night Manager.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Hunters often lit blazing fires, which disoriented and frightened the elk, and as many animals as possible were killed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Turf has a serious image problem in Fort Lauderdale because of costly, blazing hot turf at a small park near the tunnel.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
Please tell me the sequel could answer the most burning question of the ’00s: How could Austin not recognize Sam in that mask?—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Cooper, 30, asked Hargitay one more burning question about the actors' on-screen alter egos: will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Details and design reflect that philosophy, from the wood fire burning in reception and the garden where your dinner grows to the private onsen steaming quietly while snow falls just feet away.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 May 2026
-
By the time engineers realized the issue was a systemic structural fault across the entire fleet, the cargo ship was already halfway across the Atlantic, steaming toward Brazil.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Men were in sinking ships, and their only choice was to jump into a flaming ocean.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
29 May 2026
-
Cope and Cage and FTR battled in a brutal match that saw ladders, tools and even a flaming table be used.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2026
Adjective
-
The offer to return hit differently for Hall, who was recently honored with some of the most glowing acclaim of her career for her dramatic turn in Paul Thomas Anderson's Best Picture Oscar winner, One Battle After Another.—
Entertainment Weekly,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
-
More than 1,200 customers have given the shirt a five-star rating, with hundreds also leaving glowing reviews.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
The famed ducks are also worth snapping a picture of.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 June 2026
-
Yoon and his wife stand by the front door, snapping the snow off their coats before removing their shoes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smoldering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldering. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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