smolder

C1 Topic:Cause, Change & Process

Also spelled smoulder, smouldered, and smouldering

US /ˈsmoʊldɚ/ UK /ˈsməʊldə/ See IPA manual

Freq #74641

Meanings

1

verb
to burn slowly with heat and smoke but little or no flame

Wet logs continued to smolder long after the flames had died.
2

verb
to remain suppressed but active, especially as anger, passion, or conflict

Resentment continued to smolder beneath their polite conversation.
3

noun
a slow, flameless burning or a subdued, intense emotional expression

The actor replaced open anger with a quiet smolder.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to burn slowly with heat... smoulderglow simmer

2 verb · to remain suppressed but... smouldersimmer seethe

3 noun · a slow, flameless burning... smoulderglow

Opposites

blazedie outextinguish

Word family

Forms smoldered

Derived forms smolderersmolderinglysmolderingness

Related forms ember combustion smoke simmer

Etymology

From Middle English smolderen ("to suffocate or stifle") and smolder ("smoke, smoky vapor"), ultimately from a West Germanic verb meaning to burn, glow, or fume. The figurative emotional sense compares hidden feeling to a fire that remains hot without visible flame.

Topics

Cause, Change & Process

External links

# smolder

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈsmoʊldɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsməʊldə/
**Frequency rank:** 74641

## Meanings
1. to burn slowly with heat and smoke but little or no flame
2. to remain suppressed but active, especially as anger, passion, or conflict
3. a slow, flameless burning or a subdued, intense emotional expression

## Examples
- Wet logs continued to smolder long after the flames had died.
- Resentment continued to smolder beneath their polite conversation.
- The actor replaced open anger with a quiet smolder.

## Synonyms
- smoulder
- glow
- simmer
- seethe

## Antonyms
- blaze
- die out
- extinguish

## Derived Forms
- smolderer
- smolderingly
- smolderingness

## Related Forms
- ember
- combustion
- smoke
- simmer

## Etymology
From Middle English smolderen ("to suffocate or stifle") and smolder ("smoke, smoky vapor"), ultimately from a West Germanic verb meaning to burn, glow, or fume. The figurative emotional sense compares hidden feeling to a fire that remains hot without visible flame.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process

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