variants
or smoulder
1
as in to anger
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 to blaze
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 smolder
Neighbors living near the Ontario warehouse say Abdulkarim should face more than arson charges, as equipment still smolders at the site and questionable air quality lingers after last week's massive blaze, covering an area the size of 21 football fields.
—
Austin Turner, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
And Jacob Elordi, the Thinking Man’s Heartthrob, avoided becoming a generic Netflix idol by smoldering his way to an Oscar nomination, in between his seasons playing the angsty jock Nate.
—New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
In the footage, a large field of aircraft debris can be seen still smoldering.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
Her decision to stop the publication of a 60 Minutes piece about a Salvadoran prison that had been cleared by others at the network sparked an internal fire that smoldered for weeks until the story eventually aired.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Austin Turner, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
And Jacob Elordi, the Thinking Man’s Heartthrob, avoided becoming a generic Netflix idol by smoldering his way to an Oscar nomination, in between his seasons playing the angsty jock Nate.
—New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
In the footage, a large field of aircraft debris can be seen still smoldering.
—Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
Her decision to stop the publication of a 60 Minutes piece about a Salvadoran prison that had been cleared by others at the network sparked an internal fire that smoldered for weeks until the story eventually aired.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolder
Verb
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Imagine the type of conviction Jon-Eric Sullivan must have in Kadyn Proctor to have his first-round selection disappoint, if not anger most of his South Florida fan base?—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
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Trump faces record-low approval ratings, while Washington’s war on Iran, which has sent US gasoline prices spiking, has further angered voters.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After some chit-chat aboard a space station, all hell breaks loose when a bunch of mercenaries come in guns blazing.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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Two children watch him from behind while, in one sliver of the background on the top left side of the picture, a blazing red sunset overruns the sky.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The musical — a rock-and-raunch, goth-and-gay parody of cheesy, mid-century horror/sci-fi flicks — was created by Richard O’Brien (book, music, lyrics and who performed as the snarling butler Riff Raff).—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
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The talks planned for Saturday come as much of the world is on edge over a war that has snarled crucial energy exports through the Strait of Hormuz, clouded the global economic picture and left thousands dead across the Middle East.—
Munir Ahmed,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded several longstanding environmental regulations, including gutting the 2009 endangerment finding and rolling back air quality standards for coal-burning power plants, which advocates say will cause irreparable harm.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
27 Apr. 2026
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The cladding on the house is called Shou Sugi Ban, which is a Japanese process of preserving wood by pre-burning it and then staining it to [create a durable, fire-retardant material].—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That is a steaming hot pile of garbage.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Dinners take place in traditional nomad tents around the communal fire pit, and range from steaming hot pots with yak meat, mushrooms and tofu to haute-Tibetan tasting menus with wild vegetables in corn foam, tsampa grissini, and lamb shoulder with yak yogurt glaze and salsa verde.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For an appetizer, choose from among kale soup, flaming chourico, shrimp in garlic sauce, steamed clams or five other options.—
Linda Zavoral,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Alvarez awoke Sunday leading the majors in slugging, OPS and home runs, a flaming core at the heart of a cooling lineup.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The senior middle hitter tallied seven kills and two blocks as Lincoln-Way Central snapped a two-match losing streak with a 30-28, 25-22 SouthWest Suburban Conference win over Lockport.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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The case was based on a traffic accident in rural Norfolk in which a car carrying two people snapped a utility pole causing power lines to fall on the vehicle.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The chickens slowly turn as glowing flames lap at their skin.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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ServiceNow, meanwhile, is doing everything right—almost every revenue and profitability metric glowed in its latest quarterly results—and yet shares took a 14% dive as the SaaSpocalypse fears loom.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smolder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolder. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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