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.
They were behind the decision to bring in Tudor, the combustible Croatian with a chequered coaching career and no Premier League experience, to succeed the sacked Thomas Frank.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
If those Lakers — combustible and bored but built better than every other team on the planet at the time — could turn the triple play, so can Roberts’ drama-free superteam.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
Social media industry analyst Matt Navarra said TikTok's decision to "swim against the tide" is a savvy one - but comes with "pretty combustible optics".
From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026
The author also keeps an eye on the larger socio-political context, particularly in Philadelphia during the Mayor Frank Rizzo era, when racial tension was combustible.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
But all of a sudden, more than you know, he’s outside somewhere, sometimes even alone, crossing the streets, scaling rocks, wrestling with dogs, swimming in pits, getting into everything mechanical and combustible and toxic.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
