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

Chwalińska was the symbol of a tournament busted wide open, a chaotic conflagration of all the forces of women’s tennis these days, where depth causes danger from the moment the first balls fly. —Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 June 2026

Israeli military strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure have sparked days-long conflagrations, releasing a plume of noxious sulflur dioxide over an area roughly the size of Italy. —Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026

Lara claimed the company underpaid claims and was slow to investigate damage to homes and possible contamination from smoke, caused by conflagrations that destroyed huge swaths of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena. —Pat Maio, Oc Register, 3 June 2026

Higher temperatures combined with dense volumes of dry and flammable vegetation has raised the risk of even the smallest conflagrations quickly bellowing into unstoppable mega-fires. —Tristan Bove, Fortune, 1 June 2026

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