flammable

English

Etymology

Back-formation from inflammable, which is used to avoid confusion with non-flammable, as the prefix in- is often used to mean "un-; non-", although it was originally meant in a sense closely related to en-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈflæməbəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

flammable (comparative more flammable, superlative most flammable)

2. Capable of burning.

   Synonyms: inflammable (in one of its contranymic senses); combustible

   Antonyms: inflammable (in one of its contranymic senses); non-flammable, nonflammable, noninflammable, unflammable, uninflammable; fireproof, incombustible

   flammable liquid

4. Easily set on fire.

   Synonym: inflammable (in one of its contranymic senses)

   Hypernyms: combustible; dangerous, hazardous

   Antonyms: inflammable (in one of its contranymic senses); non-flammable, nonflammable, noninflammable, unflammable, uninflammable; fireproof, incombustible

   Coordinate term: volatile

   1. Subject to easy ignition and rapid flaming combustion.
5. (figurative) Very likely to cause fighting or controversy; extremely contentious.
   • 1971, United States. Department of Defense, United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967, page 42:

     In considering the possible commitment of U.S. forces to South Vietnam , the Joint Chiefs of Staff have reviewed the overall critical situation in Southeast Asia with particular emphasis upon the present highly flammable situation in South Vietnam.

   • 2002, Gregory Toledo, The Hanging of Old Brown, page 27:

     They could stuff their ears with cotton, but they could not, after all, fight such flammable ideas ( at least not in the public squares where Attucks's war whoops could still be heard ).

   • 2004, Elizabeth Prioleau, Seductress: Women Who Ravished the World and Their Lost Art of Love:

     With her play Diamond Lil, she discovered a way to sneak her flammable subject matter past the censors.

   • 2015, Adriaan Groenewald, Seamless Leadership: A passion to perform in South Africa:

     King's words touch on a higher law of leadership, that the solution to a sensitive and highly contentious and even flammable situation often lies in doing the opposite of what is expected and even perceived as normal or 'natural'.

   • 2021, Esra Gultakin, In the Shallows: Awaken Your Mind:

     Evelyn realized that Adam's flammable words and angry eyes were only the form of his untold pain, holding the strongest words of his heart, unspoken.

Translations

capable of burning — see also inflammable

• Bulgarian: леснозапалим (lesnozapalim)
• Catalan: inflamable (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 易燃 (zh) (yìrán)

• Czech: hořlavý (cs)
• Danish: brændbar
• Dutch: ontvlambaar (nl), brandbaar (nl)
• Esperanto: brulema
• Finnish: palava (fi)
• French: inflammable (fr), enflammable (fr) (uncommon)
• Georgian: აალებადი (ka) (aalebadi), წვადი (c̣vadi), ცეცხლსაშიში (cecxlsašiši)
• German: brennbar (de), entzündbar, entflammbar
• Greek: εύφλεκτος (el) (éfflektos), αναφλέξιμος (el) (anafléximos), εκρηκτικός (el) (ekriktikós), ευέξαπτος (el) (evéxaptos)
• Hebrew: דליק m (dalík)
• Hungarian: éghető (hu)
• Icelandic: eldfimur
• Irish: inlasta, so-lasta, so-adhainte, inadhainte
• Italian: infiammabile (it)
• Luxembourgish: feiergeféierlech
• Norwegian: brennbar
• Polish: łatwopalny (pl) m, łatwopalna f, łatwopalne n
• Portuguese: inflamável (pt) m or f
• Russian: огнеопа́сный (ru) (ogneopásnyj), легковоспламеня́ющийся (ru) (lexkovosplamenjájuščijsja)
• Spanish: inflamable (es)
• Swedish: brännbar (sv)
• Tagalog: takaw-apoy

easily set on fire

• Catalan: inflamable (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 易燃 (zh) (Yì rán)

• Czech: hořlavý (cs)
• Danish: brandfarlig (da), letantændelig
• Dutch: licht ontvlambaar
• Esperanto: flamema, flamiĝema, brulema
• Finnish: herkästi syttyvä, syttyvä (fi)
• French: inflammable (fr), enflammable (fr) (uncommon)
• Georgian: აალებადი (ka) (aalebadi), წვადი (c̣vadi), ცეცხლსაშიში (cecxlsašiši)
• German: feuergefährlich (de), leichtentzündlich
• Greek: εύφλεκτος (el) (éfflektos)
• Hungarian: gyúlékony (hu)
• Spanish: inflamable (es)
• Swedish: lättantändlig (sv), brandfarlig (sv)

subject to easy ignition and rapid flaming combustion

• French: inflammable (fr), enflammable (fr) (uncommon)
• Hungarian: lobbanékony (hu)

Noun

flammable (plural flammables)

1. Any flammable substance.