conflagration

[ kon-fluh-grey-shuhn ]

/ ˌkɒn fləˈgreɪ ʃən /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for conflagration on Thesaurus.com

noun

a destructive fire, usually an extensive one.

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.

Question 1 of 8

Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?

The Sunflower State

The Evergreen State

The Magnolia State

The Mockingbird State

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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”; con-, -ate¹, -ion. Latin flagr- of conflagrāre is akin to fulgur “lightning,” flamma “flame,” Greek phlóx “flame”

synonym study for conflagration

See flame.

OTHER WORDS FROM conflagration

con·fla·gra·tive, adjective

Words nearby conflagration

confiscatory, confit, Confiteor, confiture, conflagrant, conflagration, conflate, conflation, conflict, conflicted, conflicting

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for conflagration

The conflagration in Georgia has spread into other states such as Texas, Florida, Michigan and Arizona, where both business interests and voting rights activists buoyed by newfound momentum are rethinking how to challenge GOP-backed voting measures.
How the corporate backlash to Georgia’s new voting law is shaping other fights around the country over access to the polls|Amy Gardner, Mike DeBonis|April 12, 2021|Washington Post
It also risks becoming a regional conflagration, potentially drawing in neighboring Eritrea.
Ethiopia’s unfolding humanitarian crisis, explained by a top aid official|Jen Kirby|December 3, 2020|Vox
In the conflagration that followed, a number of nearby buildings were destroyed.
The Story of the Library of Alexandria Is Mostly a Legend, But the Lesson of Its Burning Is Still Crucial Today|Richard Ovenden|November 17, 2020|Time
People treated at the program come from more than 100 countries, the newer refugees arriving from the most recent conflagration.
You, Too, Could Be a Homicidal Zealot|Joel Gold|July 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The fires that corporate America lit have now become a conflagration beyond its control.
The South Has Indeed Risen Again and It’s Called the Tea Party|Jack Schwartz|December 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A century ago, miscalculation was greatly to blame for thrusting Europe into a conflagration.
Mideast War in Our Time?|Jamie Dettmer|May 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Boston Marathon bombings reminded the world how quickly a celebration can turn into a conflagration.
Dutch Coronation Celebrations Clouded After Boston Marathon Bombing|Nadette De Visser|April 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The canisters, McMahon said, are to blame for the conflagration.
How Christopher Dorner Went Down|Christine Pelisek|February 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But at that insult Garnache's brain seemed to take fire, and his cautious resolutions were reduced to ashes by the conflagration.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
In the Brazils a conflagration of this kind never extends very far, as the vegetation is too green and offers too much opposition.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
The last fang belonging to chimney-pot Liz had perished in that great conflagration!
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
The conflagration of Rome, attributed by Nero to the Christians, which was the ostensible cause of the first persecution.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
A large number of warehouses, also, many of which were filled with wine and spirits, shared in the conflagration.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan

British Dictionary definitions for conflagration

conflagration

/ (ˌkɒnfləˈɡreɪʃən) /

noun

a large destructive fire

Derived forms of conflagration

conflagrative, adjective

Word Origin for conflagration

C16: from Latin conflagrātiō, from conflagrāre to be burnt up, from com- (intensive) + flagrāre to burn; related to Latin fulgur lightning

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

conflagration

noun

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Origin of conflagration

synonym study for conflagration

OTHER WORDS FROM conflagration

Words nearby conflagration

Example sentences from the Web for conflagration

British Dictionary definitions for conflagration

noun

Derived forms of conflagration

Word Origin for conflagration

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

conflagration

noun

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Origin of conflagration

synonym study for conflagration

OTHER WORDS FROM conflagration

Words nearby conflagration

Words related to conflagration

Example sentences from the Web for conflagration

British Dictionary definitions for conflagration

noun

Derived forms of conflagration

Word Origin for conflagration