inflammable

UK: /ɪnˈflæməb^əl/ US: /ɪnˈflæməbəl/ ,(in flam′ə bəl)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

in•flam•ma•ble /ɪnˈflæməbəl/   adj. 

1. capable of being set on fire; combustible;
   flammable:
   Don't light matches near inflammable liquids.
2. easily aroused to passion or anger:
   an inflammable temper.

in•flam•ma•bil•i•ty /ɪnˌflæməˈbɪlɪti/  n. [uncountable]
Usage

Note that inflammable and flammable may mean the same thing. That is because the prefix in inflammable is in¹-, meaning "in; into;
'' it is not the prefix in²-, meaning "not.''

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

in•flam•ma•ble  (in flam′ə bəl), adj. 

1. capable of being set on fire;
   combustible;
   flammable.
2. easily aroused or excited, as to passion or anger;
   irascible:
   an inflammable disposition.

n. 

3. something inflammable.

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

in•flam′ma•bil′i•ty, in•flam′ma•ble•ness, n. 
in•flam′ma•bly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 2. fiery, volatile, choleric.

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 usually used in nontechnical and figurative contexts:
The speaker ignited the inflammable emotions of the crowd.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

inflammable / ɪnˈflæməb^əl/ adjective

1. liable to catch fire; flammable
2. readily aroused to anger or passion

noun

1. something that is liable to catch fire

inˌflammaˈbility, inˈflammableness noun

inˈflammably adverb

USAGE
flammable