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.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smolder
But that blissful image has been ruptured in recent days as parts of Los Angeles were engulfed in flames, reducing homes and businesses across the sprawling metropolis to smoldering heaps of ash and rubble, most calamitously in the Pacific Palisades and the community of Altadena.
—
Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 15 Jan. 2025
The fire didn’t grow overnight, and quieter weather was allowing crews to extinguish fire in pockets of smoldering landscape and vegetation.
—Judson Jones, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
The photos of smoldering neighborhoods and distraught residents are horrific and shocking.
—David Marston, The Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2025
Air quality concerns Unfortunately, Zehr said any smoke being output by smoldering fires, when combined with light winds, can lead to pollutants being trapped rather than dispersed, creating unhealthy air quality concerns.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for smolder 
Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 15 Jan. 2025
The fire didn’t grow overnight, and quieter weather was allowing crews to extinguish fire in pockets of smoldering landscape and vegetation.
—Judson Jones, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025
The photos of smoldering neighborhoods and distraught residents are horrific and shocking.
—David Marston, The Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2025
Air quality concerns Unfortunately, Zehr said any smoke being output by smoldering fires, when combined with light winds, can lead to pollutants being trapped rather than dispersed, creating unhealthy air quality concerns.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for smolder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolder
Verb
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But in a surprising twist — one that angered Judge Timothy Fancourt — both sides on Tuesday asked for more time to thrash out a deal.—
Max Taylor,
NBC News,
22 Jan. 2025
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Otherwise, the only other fix is charging more, which presents the risk of angering customers and decreasing revenue.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Sweeping away a ‘stepping stone’ to the middle class Experts once charged with enforcing antidiscrimination within the government also fear that Trump’s anti-DEI orders threaten the trails blazed by civil servants like Powell and traversed by workers like Thompson.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA TODAY,
23 Jan. 2025
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Cal Fire is still investigating the specific causes for each of the fires blazing in Los Angeles County.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The storm began its march Tuesday in Texas, blanketing highways and snarling traffic before making its way east.—
John Bacon,
USA TODAY,
22 Jan. 2025
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Up to 10 inches of snow are possible in some places where far smaller accumulations can snarl everyday life.—
Nazaneen Ghaffar,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2023
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.—
Neeti Mehra,
Treehugger,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
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Get the recipe > Whole Steamed Fish with Tangerine Peel and Fennel Bright citrus and peppery fennel enliven flaky steamed fish in this elegant banquet-table centerpiece.—
Megan Zhang,
Saveur,
16 Jan. 2025
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In the winter, the opening acts like a chimney for the warmer water below, giving the spring a steaming underworld look and its ominous name.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
12 Jan. 2025
Verb
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An unnamed Chiefs figure, atop a horse and holding a flaming football helmet, invades the Raiders’ home of Las Vegas like the legendary Headless Horseman.—
Hannah Wise,
Kansas City Star,
19 Jan. 2025
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But homes and landscaping burn, and spread flaming embers.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA TODAY,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The Hurricanes snapped a three-game losing streak against the Seminoles last year.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2025
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Hill, who tied a career high with his 19th win of the season, snapped a personal three-game losing streak.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The lightweight Ilia Liquid Light Serum Highlighter has a subtle, dewy glow.—
Loren Savini,
Allure,
22 Jan. 2025
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Many acne-prone reviewers praise its ability to lighten acne scars and calm any redness for a more radiant, smooth, soft, even, and glowing complexion.—
Elizabeth Mitchell Kadar,
Glamour,
22 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near smolder
Cite this Entry
“Smolder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolder. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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