flammable
[flam-uh-buh l]
- easily set on fire; combustible; inflammable.
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Origin of flammable
Usage note
See inflammable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for flammable
Contemporary Examples
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 ConstitutionAngela Erika Kubo, Jake Adelstein
June 30, 2014
Hearings for Supreme Court justices, decisions of war, flammable federal scandals.
Senate Panel Quizzes Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan on Colombian ProstitutesDaniel Stone
May 23, 2012
flammable
- liable to catch fire; readily combustible; inflammable
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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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Word Origin and History for flammable
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper