inflame

verb

in·​flame in-ˈflām 

variants or less commonly enflame

inflamed also enflamed; inflaming also enflaming

transitive verb

1

a

: to excite to excessive or uncontrollable action or feeling

especially : to make angry

His speech inflamed the mob.

b

: to make more active, heated, or violent : intensify

inflame the imagination

insults serving only to inflame the feud

2

: to set on fire : kindle

3

: to cause to redden or grow hot from anger or excitement

a face inflamed with passion

4

: to cause inflammation in (bodily tissue)

intransitive verb

1

: to burst into flame

2

: to become excited or angered

3

: to become affected with inflammation

inflamer noun

Synonyms of inflame

• infuriate
• anger
• enrage
• irritate
• annoy

Examples of inflame in a Sentence

His angry speech inflamed the mob.

ideas that inflame the imagination

His comments have inflamed an already tense situation.

inflaming the passions of the mob

a chemical that can inflame the skin

Recent Examples on the Web

The incident could further inflame tensions between the Koreas, which have no working military hotlines or other emergency communications channels as North Korea hardens its stance toward Seoul while expanding its military nuclear program. — Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026

The Hugging Face incident was a high-profile breach that inflamed the safety concerns about AI, which were followed by similar actions involving OpenAI’s models including breaching an Australian health department website. — Kelvin Chan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

The Hugging Face incident was a high-profile breach that inflamed the safety concerns about AI, which were followed by similar rogue actions involving OpenAI's models including breaching an Australian health department website. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

Lizzie’s desire to kill her parents is inflamed, for example, by Abby (Rebecca Hall) killing her beloved doves. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English enflamen, from Anglo-French enflamer, from Latin inflammare, from in- + flamma flame

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for inflame

• acclaim
• aflame
• airframe
• ballgame
• became
• declaim
• defame
• disclaim
• doorframe
• exclaim
• mainframe
• nickname

Kids Definition

inflame

verb

in·​flame in-ˈflām 

inflamed; inflaming

1

: to set on fire : kindle

2

: to excite to too much action or feeling

especially : to make angry

3

: to cause to redden or grow hot from anger or excitement

4

: to cause inflammation in (bodily tissue)

5

: to become affected with inflammation

Medical Definition

inflame

verb

in·​flame in-ˈflām 

inflamed; inflaming

transitive verb

: to cause inflammation in (bodily tissue)

inflame the sinuses

intransitive verb

: to become affected with inflammation