smolder

Or smoul·der

[smohl-der]

verb (used without object)

1. to burn without flame; undergo slow or suppressed combustion.

2. to exist or continue in a suppressed state or without outward demonstration.

   Hatred smoldered beneath a polite surface.

3. to display repressed feelings, as of indignation, anger, or the like.

   to smolder with rage.

noun

1. dense smoke resulting from slow or suppressed combustion.

2. a smoldering fire.

smolder

/ ˈsməʊldə /

verb

1. the US spelling of smoulder

Other Word Forms

• unsmoldering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of smolder¹

1275–1325; (noun) Middle English smolder smoky vapor, dissimilated variant of smorther smother; (v.) Middle English (as present participle smolderende ), derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

An attorney for the man charged with intentionally igniting a smoldering blaze that later became the deadly Palisades fire says the evidence against his client is thin and accused authorities of scapegoating him.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Aerial footage broadcast by US media showed smoldering debris at the factory in Hickman County, Tennessee, with charred and mangled vehicles strewn across the facility.

Read more on Barron's

Embers can bury deep in tree roots and chaparral, become covered in heavy ash and continue to smolder until strong winds set them free.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They have crashed back to earth with such staggering force that the only thing left of their championship aspirations is a smoldering crater in the ground.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The blaze, which firefighters had said was contained hours later, smoldered underground in dense vegetation for days until powerful winds on Jan. 7 caused it to spread, authorities said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• boil 
• erupt 
• explode 
• fester 
• seethe