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.
Less than five in 100 breast cancers are inflammatory, according to Macmillan Cancer Support, external.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
What made her cancer so unusual was she had triple negative breast cancer in her right breast, followed by a diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer in her left breast.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Americans use peptides for a range of reasons, including for better sleep, to help with inflammatory conditions like ulcerative colitis or to lose weight.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
This includes those with a family history of colorectal cancer and people with inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Though, of course, as soon as Joe left he reconsidered, wondering was he crazy to encourage such a hopeless and inflammatory act?
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
