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

The less likely a wider conflagration is, the less leverage the US and Europe have over the Netanyahu administration. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 1 Oct. 2024

Analysts say the aging ayatollah is sufficiently pragmatic to seek to avoid wider conflagration, as long as the proxies will be able to step up. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2024

This exchange touched off a conflagration involving the district superintendent, human resources, the school principal and Horn, who resigned as Berkley’s athletic director at the end of the school year. —Austin Meek, The Athletic, 23 Aug. 2024

Which could easily lead to a confrontation between those communities and Hezbollah, leading in turn to a nationwide conflagration. —Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 25 Sep. 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