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.
Examples of flammable in a Sentence
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2025
If the lint isn’t cleaned out of the trap regularly, additional buildup can cause longer drying times, unnecessary overwork of the dryer, and a hazard for fires since lint is highly flammable.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025
Fire suppression practices that don’t allow low-intensity fires to burn can lead to the accumulation of flammable vegetation, raising the risk of intense fires.
—Seyd Teymoor Seydi, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2025
Others are banned entirely, including strike anywhere matches, torch lighters, and flammable aerosols like spray paint.
—Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flammable
Cite this Entry
“Flammable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flammable. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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flammable
adjective
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