Definition of conflagrationnext
1
as in inferno
a destructive burning the historic tavern burned to the ground in a horrible conflagration

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2
as in hostilities
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups what began as a skirmish over disputed territory erupted into a conflagration that swept the continent

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conflagration The damage was largely contained to what firefighters call a wildland-urban interface fire, not a larger conflagration like the one developing in the Palisades. Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026 So what the new age of disaster is, and what the fire of the future is, is a conflagration, excuse the term, of several things. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026 The conflagration was under control, but still burning, hours after the blaze broke out, Esposito said. Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026 Following the initial investigation conducted by the Valais public prosecutor’s office, a criminal investigation into negligent homicide and bodily harm and negligent causing of a conflagration was launched Friday against the two operators of the bar, according to a statement by Valais Police. Bloomberg News, Boston Herald, 3 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for conflagration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflagration
Noun
  • In a disturbing incident in the northern city of Rasht, regime forces shot unarmed civilians trying to escape an inferno engulfing its bazaar.
    Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Jonathan Rinderknecht has been charged with setting the fire that grew into the massive inferno.
    Michelle Edgar, Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Those presidents asked for permission to conduct hostilities because the supreme law of the land, the Constitution, unambiguously vests the war power in Congress.
    Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
  • Almost three years since the start of the Sudanese civil war, there are few signs of the hostilities ending soon, with experts fearing the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis could yet worsen.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Jets fire Engstrand The New York Jets are searching for a new offensive coordinator after parting ways with Tanner Engstrand.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026
  • For Ramsay, who was personally impacted by the fires, the night carried emotional weight.
    Michelle Edgar, Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • That helped end the war faster.
    Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
  • As the war grinds through another bitterly cold winter, Russian strikes hit an apartment block Wednesday on the outskirts of Kyiv, killing two people.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Conflagration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflagration. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

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