incendiary

American  

[in-sen-dee-er-ee] / ɪnˈsɛn diˌɛr i /

adjective

1. used or adapted for setting property on fire.

   incendiary bombs.

2. of or relating to the criminal setting on fire of property.

3. tending to arouse strife, sedition, etc.; inflammatory.

   incendiary speeches.

4. tending to inflame the senses.

   an incendiary extravaganza of music and dance.

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noun

incendiaries plural

1. a person who deliberately sets fire to buildings or other property, as an arsonist.

2. Military. a shell, bomb, or grenade containing napalm, thermite, or some other substance that burns with an intense heat.

3. a person who stirs up strife, sedition, etc.; an agitator.

incendiary British  

/ ɪnˈsɛndɪərɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to the illegal burning of property, goods, etc

2. tending to create strife, violence, etc; inflammatory

3. (of a substance) capable of catching fire, causing fires, or burning readily

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noun

1. a person who illegally sets fire to property, goods, etc; arsonist

2. (esp formerly) a person who stirs up civil strife, violence, etc, for political reasons; agitator

3. Also called: incendiary bomb.  a bomb that is designed to start fires

4. an incendiary substance, such as phosphorus

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• incendiaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of incendiary

1600–10; < Latin incendiārius, equivalent to incendi ( um ) a fire ( incend ( ere ) to kindle ( in- in- ² + -cendere, transitive v. from base of candēre to shine, be hot; see candent, candid, candor) + -ium -ium ) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

An incendiary device is a bomb. An incendiary statement is, "That idea is absolute garbage." Both are likely to produce an explosion of one kind or another. Incendiary means more than flammable. It means explosive, in both a literal and figurative way. If you're a radical who changes the world by exciting people and makes as many enemies as followers, you're an incendiary figure. The speeches you give that rile people up are incendiary. The fires you set are also incendiary, and by setting them you are also likely to be called an incendiary — someone who burns things, more commonly known as an arsonist.

Example Sentences

Steve Burke, editor-in-chief of the media channel Gamers Nexus, has garnered millions of views on YouTube videos bearing incendiary titles such as “Nvidia’s AI Bubble” and “The Torture Will Continue Until Shareholder Value Improves.”

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

The men traded a series of incendiary, insulting songs, but the one that endures is Lamar’s “Not Like Us”—spooky, walloping, chart-topping, Grammy-winning.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

More impressively, the band, with Taylor’s successor, Ronnie Wood, has continued to dazzle audiences with incendiary live shows, touring as recently as 2024 behind the late-career triumph “Hackney Diamonds.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

But across town a young Ukrainian, Vladislav Derkavets, was already activating the four incendiary devices, chain-smoking to steady his nerves.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

His school held terrifying air-raid drills, and in each classroom was a large bucket of sand—to be used to extinguish fires sparked by incendiary bombs.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• inflammatory
• provocative
• subversive
• treacherous