flammable
adjective
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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.
Synonyms
Examples of flammable in a Sentence
Justin Hawkins / Made By History, TIME, 31 Jan. 2025
In Southern California, for example, much of the wildland fuel is chaparral, a type of shrubland with dense, rocky soil and highly flammable plants in a Mediterranean climate.
—John W. Daily, The Conversation, 30 Jan. 2025
Better battery management systems and less flammable, metal enclosures could help prevent fires without retardants
Researchers say the best solution to this growing problem might be to focus on making efforts to prevent batteries from combusting in the first place.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 30 Jan. 2025
Those highly flammable ecosystems are now home to millions of Americans.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for flammable 
Dictionary Entries Near flammable
Cite this Entry
“Flammable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flammable. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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flammable
adjective
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