variants
or smouldered
1
as in burnt
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
Even as the rubble smoldered, a spark of hope was burning brighter.
—
MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 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
The cause and aftermath of the explosions remain under investigation by state and federal agencies, but questions of improper permitting and licensing, and the appearance of local conflicts of interest, began surfacing as the remnants of the property still smoldered.
—Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 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
The cause and aftermath of the explosions remain under investigation by state and federal agencies, but questions of improper permitting and licensing, and the appearance of local conflicts of interest, began surfacing as the remnants of the property still smoldered.
—Ethan Wolin, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoldered
Verb
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Christmas Eve travel was briefly snarled as the Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all American Airlines flights Tuesday.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC News,
25 Dec. 2024
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Earlier this year, UnitedHealthcare suffered a massive ransomware attack, which leaked info on over 100 million people and snarled healthcare for weeks despite a $22 million payment to the attackers.—
Wes Davis,
The Verge,
4 Dec. 2024
Verb
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From up in the rafters, a single spotlight coldly blazed.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
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In part, James and Elizabeth Murdoch, who blazed their own separate trails in the media business, had concerns about Fox News and the close affiliation of the news network with the family.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, sharp spending cuts have angered many, while corruption allegations against senior officials have dented his party’s odds ahead of next month’s vote, which could determine the future of Milei’s presidency.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Some of the most passionate television fans are those who watch Big Brother, and the latest game twist has angered them, creating a backlash on social media.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Bloomberg investigation found numerous instances of passengers who were killed or severely burned by post-crash fires when rescuers on the scene were unable to open the doors.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
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Since its discovery more than a month ago, Alpaugh Fire has burned 550 acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That includes the arch-rival Atlanta Braves, whose streak of six straight NL East titles was snapped by the Phillies in 2024 (aging Atlanta DH Marcell Ozuna, having a bad year, will also be a free agent).—
Dan Schlossberg,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Graphic by Newsweek of a house snapped in two and an umbrella shielding it from a shower of dollar bills, with illustrations of coal and a nuclear power plant.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The music thumped away, though at reduced volume, the bats performed their acrobatics over the pool, the hash pipe glowed, people began to yawn.—
T. Coraghessan Boyle,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
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Some cells glowed brightly due to high activity, others dimmed with weaker expression, while some switched off entirely.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the spring, the leaves are harvested, steamed, de-stemmed and de-veined and then stone ground into a fine powder.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
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And last Friday, US and British warships steamed through the Taiwan Strait.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Even Seldon flickered between digital and physical selves, his split consciousness pushing conflicting agendas that unsettled the followers who depended on him.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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The British supermodel brought her A-game to the fall campaign shoot, throwing her hands up in the air and letting her hair fly as the club lights pulsed and strobes flickered around her.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Smoldered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoldered. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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