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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of combustible
From the Late Latin word combūstibilis, dating back to 1520–30. See combust, -ible
Explanation
Combustible means "able to catch fire," like matches or the extremely dry forest floors that people sometimes forget are combustible — until they go up in flames. When the adjective combustible first entered the English language in the sixteenth century, it was used to describe things that burn easily. The word soon came to apply not only to objects that ignite but also to tempers that are prone to "catch fire" easily. If you’ve ever been around a person who has a combustible temper, you can understand the connection.
Vocabulary lists containing combustible
Automobiles
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Great Fire
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Other areas had gone without fire for more than 100 years, allowing dead wood, shrubs, and other combustible material to accumulate.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
A City of Edinburgh Council report later found a previous building survey carried out in May 2022 identified a series of issues, including "combustible cladding and insulation, combustible decking and internal fire-stopping issues".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Automakers are also racing to shift away from combustible engines under EU rules that call for 90 percent of all cars sold in the bloc to be electric by 2035.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
Reliant on imports, Iran also faces a gasoline crisis—which is politically combustible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Trains heading into Mexico City stop first in Lecherfa to leave any cars with combustible contents.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
In other situations where combustibles were close to homes, embers likely ignited those materials and created spot fires, or entered open windows or vents, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2025
Different types of garbage - separated into combustibles, non-combustibles, and recyclables - are collected according to different schedules.
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2024
"Our performance in U.S. combustibles has been disappointing," newly appointed Chief Executive Tadeu Marroco said in a statement.
From Reuters ● Jun. 6, 2023
Renaldo said workers were using blowtorches on the building’s exterior before the fire and that heat may have transferred through brick or mortar to the interior and ignited paper or other combustibles.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 1, 2023
We formed a ring around the base of the tree, and one by one deposited our combustibles at the trunk.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
