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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of conflagration
While the cause of the Eaton fire — which killed 18 people and destroyed more than 9,000 structures in Altadena — remains under investigation, residents have filed several lawsuits blaming Edison for sparking the conflagration.
—
Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
In a timely coincidence, the university had launched a new initiative, Dialogue Vanderbilt, months before the Middle East conflagration.
—Stephen Humphries, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2025
Between the two conflagrations, thirteen thousand dwellings were destroyed, mine among them.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2025
Land clearing and logging slash fed serial conflagrations, which blew up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—the waning decades of the Little Ice Age.
—Stephen Pyne, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conflagration
Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
In a timely coincidence, the university had launched a new initiative, Dialogue Vanderbilt, months before the Middle East conflagration.
—Stephen Humphries, Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr. 2025
Between the two conflagrations, thirteen thousand dwellings were destroyed, mine among them.
—Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2025
Land clearing and logging slash fed serial conflagrations, which blew up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—the waning decades of the Little Ice Age.
—Stephen Pyne, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for conflagration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflagration
Noun
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Thursday that 18 suspects have been arrested for alleged arson amid the inferno, which has spread across more than 5,000 acres in the foothills of Jerusalem over the past two days.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
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With too little carbon dioxide, Earth can become a frozen wasteland, and with too much, a sweltering inferno.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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These meetings initially took place virtually and then in person across different capitals, seeking a cessation of hostilities and the establishment of humanitarian corridors.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
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But Putin had other ideas, tying a halt in hostilities to the West readmitting certain Russian banks into the West’s financial network.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Conditions are expected to cool off and become more humid the evening of May 14 after another warm and dry day, potentially helping with the fire behavior, officials said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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The chemicals are needed to meet a flammability standard that was set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Authority (NHTSA) in 1970 without data showing that using the toxic chemicals would increase fire safety.—
Arlene Blum,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
Noun
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The trade war ramped up at the beginning of April, so price hikes have not yet affected the cost of living, with inflation easing last month.—
Alina Selyukh,
NPR,
15 May 2025
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Fearing President Donald Trump’s chaotic trade war would ignite a global recession, investors scrambled to dump US assets.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Conflagration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflagration. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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