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.
Flammable wooden fences along property lines can be replaced with metal or masonry.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2025
Fans of “Black Mirror,” Aimee Bender’s “The Girl in the Flammable Skirt” or Samantha Schweblin’s “Fever Dream” will love this memorable and utterly unique collection and will not want to miss Fu’s panel.
From Washington Post • Sep. 1, 2022
Flammable grasses and shrubs are also taking the place of more fire-resistant lichen and moss in the tundra ecosystem.
From New York Times • Aug. 20, 2022
Flammable and explosive substances had also been removed, according to state broadcaster TRT.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 5, 2021
We enacted the Wholesome Meat Act, the Flammable Fabrics Act, the Product Safety Commission, and a law to improve clinical laboratories.
From State of the Union Address by Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines)
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.
