flammable

adjective

flam·ma·ble ˈfla-mə-bəl

Synonyms of flammable next

: capable of being easily ignited and of burning quickly

flammable noun

Did you know?

Why Inflammable Is Not the Opposite of Flammable

Combustible and incombustible are opposites but flammable and inflammable are synonyms. Why? The in- of incombustible is a common prefix meaning "not," but the in- of inflammable is a different prefix. Inflammable comes from Latin inflammare ("to inflame"), itself from in- (here meaning "in" or "into") plus flammare ("to flame"). Flammable also comes from flammare. In the early 20th century, firefighters worried that people might think inflammable meant "not able to catch fire," so they adopted flammable and nonflammable as official safety labels and encouraged their use to prevent confusion. In general use, flammable is now the preferred term for describing things that can catch fire, but inflammable is still occasionally used with that meaning as well.

Examples of flammable in a Sentence

avoid wearing loose flammable clothing when using the blowtorch

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Winter nights are freezing, and fires are impossible to light inside the flammable nylon edifice. —

Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025 Concerns About Flammability With Spray Sunscreen Many spray sunscreen products contain flammable ingredients, such as alcohol.14 The FDA notes there have been cases of people applying and wearing spray sunscreen near open flames, catching fire, and suffering significant burns. —

Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 29 Dec. 2024 Items that cannot be returned include: Hazardous materials such as flammable liquids or gases. —

Mike Snider, Detroit Free Press, 27 Dec. 2024 But the blaze was the latest manifestation of a vicious cycle in which flammable invasive grasses are choking out fire-resistant vegetation in the Santa Monica Mountains. —

Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for flammable