inflammable

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inflammable

combustible (figuratively: inflammable emotions)

Not to be confused with:

flammable – combustible (technical use, on a warning sign: caution! flammable)

nonflammable – not combustible or easily set on fire

in·flam·ma·ble

(ĭn-flăm′ə-bəl)

adj.

1. Easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly; flammable. See Usage Note at flammable.

2. Quickly or easily aroused to strong emotion; excitable.

[Middle English, liable to inflammation, from Medieval Latin īnflammābilis, from Latin īnflammāre, to inflame; see inflame.]

in·flam′ma·bil′i·ty n.

in·flam′ma·ble n.

in·flam′ma·bly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

inflammable

(ɪnˈflæməbəl)

adj

1. liable to catch fire; flammable

2. readily aroused to anger or passion

something that is liable to catch fire

inˌflammaˈbility, inˈflammableness n

inˈflammably adv

Usage: See at flammable

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

in•flam•ma•ble

(ɪnˈflæm ə bəl)

adj.

1. capable of being set on fire; combustible; flammable.

2. easily aroused to passion or anger.

3. something inflammable.

[1595–1605; < Medieval Latin]

in•flam`ma•bil′i•ty, in•flam′ma•ble•ness, n.

in•flam′ma•bly, adv.

usage: 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 usu. used in nontechnical and figurative contexts: inflammable clothing; an inflammable temper.

flammable

– inflammable

Both flammable and inflammable are used to describe materials or chemicals that burn easily.

A window had been smashed and flammable liquid poured in.

...commercial centres, holding large stocks of inflammable materials.

Be Careful!
Inflammable is not the opposite of flammable. The opposite is non-flammable.

The fuel is recyclable, clean and non-flammable.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.

inflammable - easily ignited

flammable

combustible - capable of igniting and burning

inflammable

adjective flammable, explosive, volatile, incendiary, combustible A highly inflammable liquid escaped into the equipment. see flammable

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

سَريع الإلْتِهاب، سَريع التَّهَيُّج

hořlavý

brandfarlig

entzündbar

inflammable

eldfimur

infiammabile accendibile combustibile

degumas

ugunsnedrošsviegli uzliesmojošs

brannfarlig lettantennelig

kolay tutuşur/ateş alır

易燃的

inflammable

[ɪnˈflæməbl] ADJ

1. [liquid, substance, fabric] → inflamable
"highly inflammable" → muy inflamable

2. (fig) [situation] → explosivo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

inflammable

[ɪnˈflæməb^əl] adj (British) → inflammable

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

inflammable

adj (lit) → feuergefährlich, (leicht) entzündbar; fabric → leicht entflammbar; (fig) temperament → explosiv, leicht reizbar; situation → brisant, gereizt; “highly inflammable” → „Vorsicht Feuergefahr“, „feuergefährlich“

n → feuergefährlicher or leicht brennbarer Stoff

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

inflammable

[ɪnˈflæməbl] adj (substance, fabric) → infiammabile (fig) (situation) → esplosivo/a

inflammable

(inˈflӕməbl) adjective

easily set on fire. Paper is highly inflammable.

inˌflammaˈbility noun

inflammation (infləˈmeiʃən) noun

(a place in the body where there is) development of heat with pain, redness and swelling. Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils.

inflammable means the same as flammable:
a highly inflammable gas.

inflammable

adj inflamable

References in classic literature ?

"Yes, please do," answered the general, and he repeated the order that had already once been given in detail: "and tell the hussars that they are to cross last and to fire the bridge as I ordered; and the inflammable material on the bridge must be reinspected."

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As the flames gained headway it became apparent to Tarzan that whatever had caused the explosion had scattered some highly inflammable substance upon the surrounding woodwork, for the water which they poured in from the pump seemed rather to spread than to extinguish the blaze.

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Nicholl had thought, not perhaps without reason, that the handling of such formidable quantities of pyroxyle would, in all probability, involve a grave catastrophe; and at any rate, that this immense mass of eminently inflammable matter would inevitably ignite when submitted to the pressure of the projectile.

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As he glanced from Jo to several other young people, attracted by the brilliancy of the philosophic pyrotechnics, he knit his brows and longed to speak, fearing that some inflammable young soul would be led astray by the rockets, to find when the display was over that they had only an empty stick or a scorched hand.

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Sapsea; and mentions that dear Ned, and that inflammable young spark of Mr.

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The genius of republics (say they) is pacific; the spirit of commerce has a tendency to soften the manners of men, and to extinguish those inflammable humors which have so often kindled into wars.

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I was about to throw it away, but I remembered that it was inflammable and burned with a good bright flame--was, in fact, an excellent candle--and I put it in my pocket.

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It was a very sentimental and rather ill-spelled epistle in which the inflammable Cyrus reproached her in heart-rending words for her coldness, and begged her to answer his letter, saying that if she did he would keep the secret "in violets." Cyrus probably meant "inviolate" but Cecily thought it was intended for a poetical touch.

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'Well--that's inflammable,' said Wardle, adopting the substitute;

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If his liver "heated," to use an old-fashioned word, his heart was not less inflammable. His face was wrinkled and his hair silvered; but an intelligent observer would have recognized at once the stigmata of passion and the furrows of pleasure which appeared in the crow's-feet and the marches-du-palais, so prized at the court of Cythera.

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"We have delayed too long," exclaimed the doctor; "we must now pass through a zone of fire, with our balloon filled as it is with inflammable gas!"

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Shortly afterwards, a man in a blue cotton frock, much soiled, came in and bought a pipe, filling the whole shop, meanwhile, with the hot odor of strong drink, not only exhaled in the torrid atmosphere of his breath, but oozing out of his entire system, like an inflammable gas.