incendiary

¹in·cen·di·ary

noun
\in-ˈsen-dē-ˌer-ē; -ˈsen-də-rē, -dyə-\

plural in·cen·di·ar·ies

Definition of INCENDIARY

1

a : a person who commits arson : arsonist b : a substance or weapon (as a bomb) used to start fires

2

: a person who excites factions, quarrels, or sedition : agitator

Examples of INCENDIARY

1. <firefighters caught the incendiary, who was watching the effects of his handiwork>
2. <blamed the protests on outside incendiaries who were intent on overthrowing the government>
3. He was convinced that the arsonist was not at all what the town imagined: not brazen, but callow; not an expert incendiary noiselessly plying deer paths, but someone who was driving right up to his targets and fumbling with matches … —Barry Werth, New England Monthly, February 1989
4. White phosphorus, an incendiary, is normally packed in thin-walled casings; the casing is effective for dispersing chemical agents as well. —Stephen Budiansky, Nature, 5–11 Apr. 1984
5. The British had also made jellied gasoline with rubber, and it was generally recognized to be an excellent incendiary because of its easy ignition, high heat of combustion, and controlled burning rate. —B. & F. M. Brodie, From Crossbow to H-Bomb, 1973

Origin of INCENDIARY

Middle English, from Latin incendiarius, from incendium conflagration, from incendere

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to INCENDIARY

Synonyms: firebug, arsonist, torch

Related Words: pyromaniac; flamer, igniter (also ignitor), immolator, inflamer, kindler

Near Antonyms: peacemaker, reconciler, uniter

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Other Weapons and Explosives Terms

automatic, carbine, cudgel, muzzle, rapier

Rhymes with INCENDIARY

apothecary, bicentenary, confectionary, confectionery, consigliere, constabulary, contemporary, deflationary, disciplinary, discretionary, diversionary, epistolary, exclusionary, expansionary, extemporary, extraordinary, fiduciary, hereditary, illusionary, imaginary, inflationary, insanitary, intercalary, involuntary, itinerary, judiciary, lending library, marionberry, obituary, olallieberry, on the contrary, pecuniary, pituitary, precautionary, preliminary, presidiary, probationary, proprietary, provisionary, reactionary, subliterary, subsidiary, tercentenary, unnecessary, veterinary, vocabulary, voluptuary