inflaming 1 of 2

adjective

variants also enflaming
as in hostile

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inflaming

2 of 2

verb

variants also enflaming
present participle of inflame
1
as in angering
to make angry the newspaper editorial inflamed her enough to inspire her to dash off a letter to the editor

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in burning
to set (something) on fire a carelessly tossed cigarette inflamed the papers in the trash can

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 inflaming
Verb
The gendered backlash spilled offline into a recent council meeting and is inflaming political divisions within College Park. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 22 Sep. 2026 After a stabbing in Southport, England, in 2024, viral posts falsely claiming that the suspect was a Muslim and an undocumented migrant spread rapidly to millions via X and other platforms, inflaming the riots that ensued. — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 14 Sep. 2026 This incident continued to come up all season, dividing the group and inflaming the relationship between the Bookos and married couple Janet and Jason Caperna. — Kate Aurthur, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026 China is increasingly worried about North Korea’s role in creating and intensifying these risks—and about the need to adjust its North Korea strategy to manage them without inflaming tensions and further destabilizing the region. — Zheng Jiyong, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026 Chad Gable spent much of last year recovering from surgery after inflaming lucha libre fans with his El Grande Americano gimmick. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026 Containing Iran’s influence without inflaming a domestic front appears to be the priority. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 15 June 2026 Footage of an activist being dragged away from the development went viral, further inflaming public opposition. — Emmet Lyons, CBS News, 6 June 2026 The federal government has denied allegations of substandard conditions and accused protesters of inflaming tensions. — ABC News, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflaming
  1. hostile
  2. angering
  3. burning
  4. riling
  5. infuriating
  6. igniting
  7. maddening
  8. enraging
Adjective
  • In a hostile divorce proceeding, the first camp to attack has a major advantage.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The mission’s goal is to evaluate how the chips fare during the launch, as well as in the hostile space environment.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of hostile
Verb
  • After a gig in Brighton, England in December 1981, the Kinks singer smashed a glass against the wall backstage, angering Honeyman-Scott, who wound up punching Davies as a fight ensued.
    — Rachel DeSantis, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Rebecca regrets angering Matthijs (Matteo van der Grijn) after putting his daughter in the middle of a heated discussion around the possibility of Matthijs moving to London.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of angering
Verb
  • The intersection was littered with burning car parts, streaks of blood stained the asphalt, and black smoke filled the sky.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • To help consumers make informed decisions about the health risks associated with gas-burning appliances, the state should require commonsense warning labels on gas equipment that explain how gas appliances may affect indoor air quality and health.
    — Carol J. Williams, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of burning
Adjective
  • The only thing more riling than a referee’s interference in a sports event is a politician’s.
    — Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
Definition of riling
Verb
  • Some administration officials argue that Washington is merely trying to avoid unnecessarily infuriating Beijing.
    — David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2026
  • That makes Union Town more cumulatively powerful at minute 106 than at any single point, no matter how sad or harrowing or infuriating the stories and experiences are.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of infuriating
Verb
  • Starship uses hot staging, igniting its upper-stage engines before the booster’s engines have completely shut down.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
  • When Russia invaded its far smaller neighbor in February 2022, igniting Europe’s deadliest war in generations, he was galvanized.
    — Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of igniting
Adjective
  • Capable of flashes of brilliance, but with maddening periods of inconsistency.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Companies have turned efforts to sign up — and maddening cancellations — into a booming business, one supercharged by the pandemic, when millions of customers shifted their shopping online.
    — Lindsay Owens, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of maddening
Verb
  • There’s a 10-minute monologue in the middle of the movie that few actors could pull off as compellingly, a rant that’s hilarious, enraging, triumphant, and resigned in equal measures.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026
  • This is where Najya’s story takes a heartbreaking and enraging turn.
    — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of enraging

Browse Nearby Words

inflames
inflaming
inflammable
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Cite this Entry

“Inflaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflaming. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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