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
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
Some buildings still smoldered from the fires of the day before, and soldiers carrying rifles enforced a nationwide curfew.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Throughout the 2000s, the actor smoldered on series like Dawson's Creek (2001–2002), and One Tree Hill (2003–2012), not to mention the films A Cinderella Story (2004) and House of Wax (2005).
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
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
Some buildings still smoldered from the fires of the day before, and soldiers carrying rifles enforced a nationwide curfew.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
Throughout the 2000s, the actor smoldered on series like Dawson's Creek (2001–2002), and One Tree Hill (2003–2012), not to mention the films A Cinderella Story (2004) and House of Wax (2005).
—Mekishana Pierre, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoldered
Verb
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Traffic was snarled for hours on westbound US 60 in Mesa after a semi-truck collided with several other vehicles in a crash that left motorists with only minor injuries.—
Ronald J. Hansen,
AZCentral.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The winter storm that snarled traffic, dumped nearly a foot of snow on Indianapolis and brought double-digit sub-zero temperatures is continuing to interfere with school days for some children.—
Jen Guadarrama,
IndyStar,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yes, the Patriots’ trail to Santa Clara blazed through the Chargers, Texans and Broncos — three of the top defenses in the NFL — but there are notable qualifiers.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
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Many see him as a live threat to Muratalla's belt, and a win would put him on the fast track Lomachenko blazed years ago.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The remark angered lawmakers on both sides of the aisle at the time, and it was quickly walked back.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Opposition to the war grew in Australia along with the Palestinian death toll, and last September the government angered Israeli leaders by supporting other like-minded Western nations, including Canada and the United Kingdom, by formally recognizing Palestinian statehood.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some have had to abandon their homes, with all of their belongings still inside, only to find out later that those houses were burned to the ground.—
Edwidge Danticat,
New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2026
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Fort Worth firefighter Caleb Halvorson, who was critically burned while responding to a house fire in Fort Worth's historic Southside last September, shared a powerful response following a Tarrant County grand jury's decision not to charge the suspect in that fire with arson.—
Ginger Allen,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Thanks to his leadership, Winchester snapped a 35-year conference title drought in the Middlesex League.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
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The loss snapped the Tommies’ NCAA-leading winning streak at 11 games.—
Pioneer Press,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Coughlan glowed in Penelope's wedding dress and shared a look with her husband-to-be, Colin.—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
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DeVanté’s mythical aura glowed so brightly that even future stars struggled to get noticed.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The windows steamed with the warmth of the revelry inside.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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In recent weeks, as Indiana steamed toward the national-title game, Cuban gave even more.—
Keith O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In reality, whatever magic had briefly flickered tended to vanish just as quickly.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
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Streetlights flickered before large parts of the city were plunged into darkness, as a thick fog settled over the streets and temperatures plummeted to –5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit).—
Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smoldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldered. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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