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 of conflagration

• inferno
• fire

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

But by forcing Moscow into constant firefighting—whether putting out actual refinery fires or preventing a second-order economic conflagration—these attacks ensure that Russia will have to pay an ever higher cost to maintain stability. —Tatiana Mitrova, Foreign Affairs, 5 Nov. 2025

Bottom line Wall Street is back riding the artificial intelligence wave after a brief conflagration of AI bubble fears. —Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025

But, throughout the decades, housing developments crept toward wildlands, the climate warmed, and fires increasingly escalated into unstoppable urban conflagrations. —Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2025

As Southern California nears the heart of wildfire season, rebuilding is merely inching forward in areas hit by the most destructive conflagrations in Los Angeles history. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin conflagrātiōn-, conflagrātiō, from conflagrāre "to be destroyed by fire, be burnt down" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action — more at conflagrant

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for conflagration

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

conflagration

noun

con·​fla·​gra·​tion ˌkän-flə-ˈgrā-shən 

: a large disastrous fire