smoulder

IPA/ˈsməʊldə(r)/
IPA/ˈsməʊldər/

smoulder — verb

  • smoulderpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • smouldershe / she / it
  • smoulderedpast simple
  • smouldering-ing form

1. to burn slowly, giving off smoke but no actual fire — like embers in a fireplace

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to burn slowly, giving off smoke but no actual fire — like embers in a fireplace that glow red-orange without ever catching into flames

Example

The campfire smouldered through the night, giving off thin grey smoke.

A damp log smouldered in the fireplace, never quite catching light.

Common collocations
  • smoulder for hours
  • still smouldering
  • smouldering embers
  • smouldering ruins
Synonyms
  • burn

    broader term; includes flames and faster combustion

  • glow

    focuses on light without smoke; embers glow, fires smoulder

  • smoke

    as a verb, emphasises the smoke produced, not the heat or burning itself

Antonyms
  • blaze

    burn with strong, visible flames — the opposite state

  • extinguish

    to put out completely

Usage Note

Describes a slow, flameless burn that produces smoke. The material must still be burning — 'smoulder' is not used for something that has already gone out. Not used for controlled fires like gas stoves or candles.

Common Mistakes

The fire smouldered out after midnight.
The fire smouldered for hours before dying out.
'smoulder' means it is still burning; use 'die out' or 'go out' when the fire stops.

2. when a problem, conflict, or dangerous situation continues to exist quietly with

2.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

when a problem, conflict, or dangerous situation continues to exist quietly without being dealt with, and may suddenly become much worse at any moment

Example

A pay dispute had been smouldering in the factory for months.

used of disputes and conflicts that remain unresolved

Tensions between the neighbouring villages smouldered long after the ceasefire.

Common collocations
  • tensions smoulder
  • dispute smoulders
  • unrest smoulders
  • scandal smoulders
Synonyms
  • simmer

    very close in meaning; 'simmer' more often suggests something close to boiling over

  • brew

    suggests something is slowly developing, often with negative consequences

  • fester

    stronger negative connotation; implies something is becoming rotten or infected

Antonyms
  • resolve

    to settle or fix the problem

  • subside

    to become less intense or disappear

Usage Note

Subject is almost always an abstract conflict, problem, or tension — not a person. Frequently combined with time expressions ('for months', 'for years') to emphasise how long the situation has been left unresolved.

Common Mistakes

Mr. Chen smouldered with the headteacher.
Mr. Chen's disagreement with the headteacher smouldered.
sense/2 takes an abstract subject (the problem itself), not a person as the subject.

3. to feel a powerful negative emotion — such as anger, resentment, or jealousy — i

3.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to feel a powerful negative emotion — such as anger, resentment, or jealousy — intensely on the inside while keeping it hidden from others, so that only a hint of it shows in the eyes or face

Example

Elena smouldered with quiet anger as her brother took all the credit.

smoulder + with + emotion: anger, resentment, jealousy

Jiro's eyes smouldered with jealousy when he saw his rival accept the award.

Common collocations
  • smoulder with anger
  • smoulder with resentment
  • smoulder with jealousy
  • eyes smoulder
Synonyms
  • seethe

    implies a more active, barely-controlled anger close to bursting out

  • simmer

    similar but less intense; 'simmer with rage' vs 'smoulder with rage'

  • stew

    informal; suggests brooding over something for a long time

Antonyms
  • vent

    to express strong emotions openly

  • radiate

    to show feelings clearly and warmly, not suppress them

Grammar Patterns

smoulder + with + emotion noun

Usage Note

Only figurative sense where the subject can be a person, or a person's eyes or face. Almost always followed by 'with' and an emotion noun (anger, resentment, jealousy, bitterness). Distinguish from sense/4: this covers general strong emotions, not romantic or sexual feelings.

Common Mistakes

He smouldered his anger at the meeting.
He smouldered with anger throughout the meeting.
'smoulder' is intransitive; you cannot smoulder something, you smoulder WITH an emotion.

4. to have intense romantic or sexual feelings for someone and keep them tightly co

4.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to have intense romantic or sexual feelings for someone and keep them tightly controlled, expressing them only through looks, glances, or a charged silence rather than through words or actions

Example

Across the crowded room, Amara smouldered with an intensity that made him look away.

smoulder + with + intensity/desire — romantic tension

The two actors smouldered at each other in every scene of the film.

Common collocations
  • smoulder with desire
  • smoulder with passion
  • smoulder at someone
  • smouldering look
Synonyms
  • yearn

    focuses on the longing itself, without the visual intensity of smouldering

  • pine

    suggests sadness and weakening from unreturned love

  • ache

    emphasises the pain of desire; less visual, more emotional

Antonyms
  • declare

    to openly express romantic feelings

  • confess

    to admit feelings directly rather than keeping them hidden

Grammar Patterns

smoulder + at + person

smoulder + with + desire/attraction noun

Usage Note

Subject is a person. Often used with 'at' + person, or 'with' + desire/longing/passion. This sense is specifically romantic or sexual — distinguish from sense/3, which covers general strong emotions like anger or resentment. Common in fiction and film descriptions.

Common Mistakes

The teacher smouldered at the noisy student.
The teacher smouldered with anger at the noisy student.' (sense/3)
Using 'smoulder at someone' usually implies romantic or sexual attraction (sense/4), not general anger.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Smoulder (sense/1) describes a specific kind of burning: slow, flameless, and smoky. 'Burn' is the general term — a house burns, paper burns, but only certain materials (logs, coal, fabric) smoulder. 'Glow' focuses on the light emitted; embers glow orange in the dark, but a smouldering fire also produces smoke, which glowing alone does not capture. 'Smoke' as a verb highlights the visible fumes — a chimney smokes, a cigarette smokes — but misses the heat and slow combustion of smouldering. 'Simmer' belongs to cooking (liquid heated just below boiling) and is the source of smoulder's figurative senses; applied to fire, however, it sounds like a metaphor rather than a literal description. Choose 'smoulder' when you need to convey a fire that refuses to go out but also refuses to blaze — the dangerous in-between state.

burn ↗glow ↗smoke ↗simmer ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • smoulder beneath the surface

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Middle English smolderen, related to Old English smorian ('to suffocate, choke with smoke'). Cognate with Dutch smeulen and German schmölen, both meaning 'to smoulder'. The word originally described the dense smoke of a slow, air-starved fire — a dangerous state because it could suddenly burst into flame. This idea of danger hidden beneath a quiet surface gave rise to the figurative meanings (simmering problems, suppressed emotions) by the 18th century. The American spelling is 'smolder', which drops the 'u' following the pattern of words like 'colour/color'.