conflagration

noun

con·​fla·​gra·​tion ˌkän-flə-ˈgrā-shən 

1

: fire

especially : a large disastrous fire

The conflagration destroyed the warehouses.

2

: conflict, war

The conflagration between the two countries lasted for ten years.

Synonyms

• fire
• holocaust
• inferno

Examples of conflagration in a Sentence

The treaty is the latest attempt to resolve the ten-year conflagration.

the historic tavern burned to the ground in a horrible conflagration

Recent Examples on the Web

There was a threefold crisis in global politics—Ukraine, Gaza, Taiwan, each of which threatened to become a wider conflagration and fan flames toward the others. —Thomas Meaney, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024

Student journalists have been the ones to document the resulting conflagration—especially on campuses that barred the professional press from bearing witness. —TIME, 9 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin conflagration-, conflagratio, from conflagrare — see conflagrant

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

conflagration

noun

con·​fla·​gra·​tion ˌkän-flə-ˈgrā-shən 

: a large disastrous fire