inflammable

[ in-flam-uh-buhl ]
/ ɪnˈflæm ə bəl /

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.

Origin of inflammable

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

SYNONYMS FOR inflammable

2 fiery, volatile, choleric.

usage note for 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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH inflammable

inflammable inflammatory

Words nearby inflammable

infirmary, infirmity, infix, infl., inflame, inflammable, inflammation, inflammatory, inflammatory bowel disease, inflammatory carcinoma, inflammatory lymph

Example sentences from the Web for inflammability

British Dictionary definitions for inflammability

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, noun inflammably, adverb

undefined inflammable

See flammable