smoldering

18 6.3

Showing strong feelings that are barely controlled, especially anger or passion

adjective
/ˈsmoʊldərɪŋ/

: ardiente

It's not like there's some smoldering rage at the bottom of it.

Examples

After the argument, he had a smoldering look that suggested he was still upset.
In any event, she projected a strong and smoldering sexuality impossible to ignore.

Fiction book (1992)
His looks aside, he's charming most of the time, despite that smoldering manner of his.

Fiction book (1996)
Tuber had turned sullen, hiding a smoldering anger in his breast since his father's death.

Fiction book (1992)
He just wants us to think he's a smoldering basket of mystique and contradictions.

Night Shoot (2025)
His smoldering gaze revealed the anger he was trying to hide from everyone.
She spoke with a smoldering intensity that captivated the audience.

Synonyms

fiery

vssmoldering

64 3.5

Full of strong, often angry feelings

keeps emotion barely held back rather than showing it openly

glowering

vssmoldering

7.4

A dark, angry look that seems threatening

keeps strong feeling barely under the surface instead of looking openly hostile

Antonyms

calm

735 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

unemotional

11 4.4

Not showing strong feelings

How Intense

explosive

60 4.4

seething

6.1

smoldering

18 6.3

subdued

11 5.5

Surface Forms

smoldering positive

Morphology

smoldering = smolder (semi-transparent) = smolder + ing

Formed by adding '-ing' to the verb 'smolder'; the emotional sense is a common metaphorical extension of the literal 'slow burning', so meaning is related but figurative.

Etymology

Smoldering comes from the image of a fire that burns slowly and gives off smoke; the verb smoulder originally meant 'to burn slowly and give off smoke', and you can see the same idea in the word smoke. So a smoldering look or feeling is like a hidden fire under the surface, a strong emotion that is barely shown but ready to break out.