variants
or smoulders
1
as in snarls
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 blazes
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 smolders
Throughout the compilation of clips, Kristy smiles and smolders in the mirror while using a bottle of the luxury brand's Libre Berry Crush perfume.
—
Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Blood orange and saffron ignite the air, myrrh smolders beneath, and the woods hum with market heat.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
Blood orange and saffron ignite the air, myrrh smolders beneath, and the woods hum with market heat.
—Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolders
Verb
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Low toward the west blazes Venus, which serves as a convenient celestial landmark to make a sighting of Mercury, which will be hovering not far from it.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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Jesse steps up on the mound and blazes the ball past him.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Nothing steams football fans quite like NBC Sports broadcaster Cris Collinsworth praising Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Feb. 2026
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Then, Lim steams the breastmilk in an espresso machine before adding the matcha into the drink.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But Mom, though we are surrounded by so much darkness and uncertainty, our love burns bright.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
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But her desire to compete at a high level still burns deep.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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LaCava said the change seems like another city policy that angers many residents without major impact.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
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What angers me is thinking about what could have been.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Trump seethes with hatred and erupts in volcanic fury to denounce, demonize, disparage and threaten anyone who refuses to support his increasingly irrational and harmful proposals and actions.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
2 Feb. 2026
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The river tumbles and seethes through 278 miles of Grand Canyon National Park, taking its geologic time in carving a trench now deeper than a mile.—
Brandon Loomis,
AZCentral.com,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In San Francisco, Chinatown glows with lanterns, pop‑up performances, and bustling markets as the city builds toward its iconic Chinese New Year Parade on March 7 — one of the largest outside Asia.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
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Your 5th House of Creativity glows with a Solar Eclipse, inviting playful expression and heartfelt risk that helps love and artistry feel alive again.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Earnhardt snaps a 55-race winless stretch that dated to 2012.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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More and more, Jackson seeks out biblical analogies and snaps them down like safety catches over the loose ends of his earlier life.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Curiosity flickers across his face when his submissive surprises him.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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As the camera pans out, the screen flickers, and House appears for a second.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smolders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolders. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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