combustible
Americanadjective
-
capable of catching fire and burning; inflammable; flammable.
Gasoline vapor is highly combustible.
-
easily excited.
a high-strung, combustible nature.
noun
adjective
-
capable of igniting and burning
-
easily annoyed; excitable
noun
Other Word Forms
- combustibility noun
- combustibleness noun
- combustibly adverb
- uncombustible adjective
Etymology
Origin of combustible
From the Late Latin word combūstibilis, dating back to 1520–30. See combust, -ible
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Amorim left United's hierarchy with no option but to sack him after Sunday's Elland Road outburst, an ill-judged play from a combustible personality who was already on shifting sands.
From BBC
In a low-ceiling basement lined with combustible finishes—as Le Constellation seems to have been—a small fire can rapidly generate a superheated smoke layer near the ceiling that gradually expands downward.
Fires must be in professionally manufactured barbecues at least one foot off the ground and 25 feet feet from buildings and other combustibles, according to parade officials.
From Los Angeles Times
There is something inherently combustible about being in a band.
From Los Angeles Times
Solid-state batteries are prized by automakers looking for safer alternatives to combustible lithium-ion batteries, as well as for their potential to store greater amounts of energy and charge faster than their lithium-ion rivals.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
