flammable
[flam-uh-buh l]
adjective
easily set on fire; combustible; inflammable.
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Why Do Flammable and Inflammable Mean the Same Thing?English is a trickster of a language, evidenced by the fact that two words that appear to be antonyms can actually mean the exact same thing. For the most part we manage to bumble along without confusing the two, and can figure out which meaning is intended based on context (although in the case of regardless and irregardless some extra time is needed for teeth-gnashing). …
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- flamingo,
- flamingo-flower,
- flaminian way,
- flamininus,
- flaminius,
- flammarion,
- flammarion, camille,
- flamsteed,
- flamsteed, john,
- flamy
Origin of flammable
Usage note
See inflammable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for flammable
That can happen, according to the report, when (flammable) methane leaks out of fracking wells and into drinking water.
He doused himself with two plastic bottles of flammable liquids, and he set himself on fire.
Suicidal Anti-war Protest Shocks Japan as It Rethinks Pacifist Constitution|Angela Erika Kubo, Jake Adelstein|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEASTHearings for Supreme Court justices, decisions of war, flammable federal scandals.
Senate Panel Quizzes Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan on Colombian Prostitutes|Daniel Stone|May 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
flammable
adjective
usage
Flammable and inflammable are interchangeable when used of the properties of materials. Flammable is, however, often preferred for warning labels as there is less likelihood of misunderstanding (inflammable being sometimes taken to mean not flammable). Inflammable is preferred in figurative contexts: this could prove to be an inflammable situation
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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flammable
1813, from Latin flammare "to set on fire" (from flamma; see flame) + -able.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper