flammable
Americanadjective
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
Commonly Confused
See inflammable.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of flammable
First recorded in 1805–15; from Latin flammā(re) “to set on fire” + -ble
Explanation
Be careful with matches around gasoline, dry grass, and old wood because they are all very flammable and might catch on fire. Flammable is a pretty straightforward word with one odd fact about it. The word, inflammable, which sounds like the opposite of flammable, actually means the same thing — easily catching on fire. If you want to say that something won't catch fire easily, use fireproof and you'll be sure to be right.
Vocabulary lists containing flammable
Power Suffix: -able
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List 6
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Hatchet
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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.
Only those assessed as high or medium risk will require the cladding to be removed, but all categories permit the cladding to be flammable.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
A faulty valve on a CalMac ferry led to a sudden and uncontrolled release of highly flammable methane gas last summer, BBC Scotland News has learned.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
"When the water is drained, the peat dries and becomes flammable."
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
Barth said replacing flammable pine forests with mixed woodlands would help.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Surrounded by the jungle, it is green and lush during the rainy season and dusty and flammable during the dry season.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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.
