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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolders
Verb
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The northern line of the Patton Meadow Fire blazes over a ridgeline on August 16, 2021, near Lakeview, Oregon.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At its heart sits Viti, a striking blue crater lake that steams invitingly in contrast to the stark black landscape.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
-
CookingPal’s gadget suggests meals, fetches recipes, chops, stirs, and steams ingredients, and then cleans up after itself.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Jan. 2020
Verb
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The spark becomes a blaze, and trust between citizens and the military burns with it.—
Eric Chastain,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
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As a guy who is simply not built for summer (sweaty, burns easily, refuses to wear shorts), the turning of the calendar to September adds a little lead to my tread, with visions of cider and sweaters dancing in my head.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Season 2 picks up after Kimmie marries businessman Horace Bellarie, inheriting a new sense of power that angers her in-laws, Netflix said in its release.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
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After being told that Dawn is dead, Gaal mocks Demerzel for pretending to grieve, which angers the robot.—
Rafael Motamayor,
Vulture,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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This is why Dijon’s language works best as sound, not narrative—his rangy, raspy voice seethes and triumphs, mocks and threatens; there’s no world in which his polygonal perspective can be discerned from a lyric sheet.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At the absolute highest energies, the Moon glows with a light all its own, powered by nuclear recoils, and irrespective of any light, or anything at all, emitted by the Sun.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
4 Sep. 2025
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Its Hungarian Parliament glows at twilight—mirrored in the river’s slow current—while layered history lingers in its bullet-scarred walls.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With this humiliation, Joe snaps, and, in short order, commits several shocking acts of deadly violence.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Sep. 2025
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Also at the Eojjeol Suga Eopda premiere in Venice, Park Chan-wook snaps photos of the photographers while on the carpet.—
Brendan Le,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Over dinner, a broadcast flickers on the cabin’s dusty TV.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
28 Aug. 2025
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The glowing phenomenon appears as rays, spirals and flickers that most commonly manifest in hues of red and green.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
19 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Smolders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolders. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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