conflagration
Americannoun
noun
Synonym Usage
See flame.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of conflagration
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin conflagrātiōn- (stem of conflagrātiō ), equivalent to conflagrāt(us), past participle of conflagrāre “to burn up”; see con- ( def. ), -ate 1 ( def. ), -ion ( def. ). Latin flagr- of conflagrāre is akin to fulgur “lightning,” flamma ( see flame), Greek phlóx ( see phlox)
Explanation
A conflagration isn't just a few flames; it's an especially large and destructive fire that causes devastation. That tiny campfire that somehow turned into a raging forest inferno? You could call that intense, uncontrolled blaze a conflagration. Mrs. O'Leary's cow knew a thing or two about conflagrations: It was that unknowing animal that kicked over a kerosene lamp in the night, setting the O'Leary's barn on fire and sending four square miles of the Windy City into that blistering conflagration known as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Vocabulary lists containing conflagration
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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"The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe
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Grade 10, List 4
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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.
As of Friday afternoon that conflagration was at 147 acres and 17 percent contained, according to the state's Cal Fire agency.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Out-of-service utility infrastructure managed by Southern California Edison started the deadly conflagration in January 2025 that killed 19 people and destroyed much of Altadena, according to firefighters’ official investigation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
And they engaged knowing that, if they failed, there was the option to keep fighting – whatever the spiralling pain for their own people and a world reeling from the cost of this conflagration.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
Blankfein said he was concerned that the lack of a recent financial market shakeout made the dangers of another conflagration all the greater.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 26, 2026
The conflagration prevented her from entering the building when she realized there were people and animals trapped inside.
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
