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inflammable

[ in-flam-uh-buhl ]

/ ɪnˈflæm ə bəl /

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See synonyms for inflammable on Thesaurus.com

adjective

capable of being set on fire; combustible; flammable.

easily aroused or excited, as to passion or anger; irascible: an inflammable disposition.

noun

something inflammable.

OTHER WORDS FOR inflammable

2 fiery, volatile, choleric.

See synonyms for inflammable on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of inflammable

1595–1605; <Medieval Latin inflammābilis, equivalent to Latin inflammā(re) to inflame + -bilis-ble

words often confused with inflammable

Inflammable and flammable both mean “combustible.” Inflammable is the older by about 200 years. Flammable now has certain technical uses, particularly as a warning on vehicles carrying combustible materials, because of a belief that some might interpret the intensive prefix in- of inflammable as a negative prefix and thus think the word means “noncombustible.” Inflammable is the word more usually used in nontechnical and figurative contexts: The speaker ignited the inflammable emotions of the crowd.

OTHER WORDS FROM inflammable

in·flam·ma·bil·i·ty, in·flam·ma·ble·ness, nounin·flam·ma·bly, adverbnon·in·flam·ma·bil·i·ty, nounnon·in·flam·ma·ble, adjective

non·in·flam·ma·ble·ness, nounnon·in·flam·ma·bly, adverbun·in·flam·ma·bil·i·ty, nounun·in·flam·ma·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH inflammable

inflammable , inflammatory

Words nearby inflammable

infirmity, infix, infl., in flagrante delicto, inflame, inflammable, inflammation, inflammatory, inflammatory bowel disease, “In Flanders Fields”, inflatable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use inflammable in a sentence

Jerusalem, he warned, had become “inflammable ground where a careless word or gesture might set half a continent aflame.”
Christian Archaeologists Wanted to Excavate the Biblical Past. They Ended Up Sparking Today's Strife in Jerusalem|Andrew Lawler|November 3, 2021|Time
Observers of the scene back then described the crowd as “a caldron of inflammable material” with “revolution” on their minds.
'Alarmingly Similar.' What the Chaos Around Lincoln's First Inauguration Can Tell Us About Today, According to Historians|Olivia B. Waxman|January 15, 2021|Time
So, after a bit of online research for inflammable kinds, we headed to the nearby home supply store and found what we needed for about $10.
Hints From Heloise: Fire hazards in the laundry room|Heloise Heloise|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
“Inflammable,” mildly suggested Mr. Pickwick, who thought something worse was coming.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens

The model was first filled with inflammable materials such as shavings and large blocks of wood, over which petroleum was poured.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
Deluged as they were continually by heavy seas, nothing but the most inflammable substances would burn.
The Floating Light of the Goodwin Sands|R.M. Ballantyne
The combustibles and inflammable matters were shared between the three men and they separated.
The Border Rifles|Gustave Aimard
An inflammable gas, apparently hydrogen, was evolved during the fusion.
Some Constituents of the Poison Ivy Plant: (Rhus Toxicodendron)|William Anderson Syme

British Dictionary definitions for inflammable

inflammable

/ (ɪnˈflæməbəl) /

adjective

liable to catch fire; flammable

readily aroused to anger or passion

noun

something that is liable to catch fire

Derived forms of inflammable

inflammability or inflammableness, nouninflammably, adverb

undefined inflammable

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012