inflammatory
Americanadjective
-
tending to arouse anger, hostility, passion, etc..
inflammatory speeches.
- Synonyms:
- provocative, incendiary, fiery
-
Pathology. of or caused by inflammation.
adjective
-
characterized by or caused by inflammation
-
tending to arouse violence, strong emotion, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inflammatory
First recorded in 1725–35; from Latin inflammāt(us) “kindled” (past participle of inflammāre “to kindle”; see inflame) + -ory 1
Explanation
In medical terms, something that is inflammatory causes a local reaction that shows up by swelling, heat, pain, and redness. If you are stung by a bee, you may have an acute inflammatory reaction to the sting. The adjective inflammatory also refers to something that excites anger, violence, rebellion, or similar strong emotions, in many cases referring to speech or writing. If you are a politician, inflammatory speeches may be one tool you use to incite your constituents to vote against the corruption of your opponent. After all, a stirring speech about rights people may lose if an election goes a certain way is more likely to get out the vote than a more understated discussion.
Vocabulary lists containing inflammatory
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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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.
He said the cyber cell was tracing those sharing inflammatory videos and continuously monitoring social media for more such content.
From BBC • Jul. 12, 2026
The researchers wanted to determine whether ultrasound could encourage these immune cells to transition from an inflammatory state to one that promotes healing.
From Science Daily • Jul. 12, 2026
By boosting these energy reserves, creatine helped maintain the inflammatory signaling pathways required for dendritic cell activation.
From Science Daily • Jul. 8, 2026
And sure enough, his inflammatory words have punctuated the carefully crafted image of unity at this crucial gathering.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
It was some of the men they’d turned away who’d given Hardin’s Tower its new, inflammatory name.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
