Meaning & use

smoldering

adjective·Academic

Last updated

Burning slowly with smoke but without flame, or, figuratively, showing intense but suppressed emotion.

See it in a sentence

Smoke rose from the smoldering campfire long after the flames had died down.

He gave her a smoldering look across the crowded room.

A note on using this word

Frequently used figuratively for barely-contained anger, resentment, or passion.

Words with a similar meaning

smokingseething

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

blazing

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