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
However, with the public already discontented over elevated living costs and deteriorating public services, such measures risk further inflaming social tensions. — CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026 Anthropic updates its policies to bar users being cruel to Claude, inflaming a debate about whether the company’s concern for ‘model welfare’ is wise. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 Relying on remote technical collection could also avoid inflaming opposition by field officers who may not be prepared to take great personal risks to help the private sector. — David S. Cohen, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflaming
  1. hostile
  2. angering
  3. burning
  4. riling
  5. infuriating
  6. igniting
  7. maddening
  8. enraging
Adjective
  • About 70% of the members of Brazil’s lower house and 80% of the Senate are considered to be hostile to environmental and climate agendas, according to the observatory.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In a turnabout from Orbán’s hostile approach to Kyiv, Magyar’s government has expressed solidarity with Ukraine and designated Russia a national security threat.
    — Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of hostile
Verb
  • Raising taxes and reducing government spending are part of a potential solution, but those would be politically unpopular decisions that could risk further angering an already livid public.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
  • South Korea has accused Ukraine of violating a nondisclosure agreement, but Ukraine denies the countries reached such a deal, further angering Seoul.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of angering
Verb
  • What’s less known is that indoor activity — cooking, keeping pets, burning candles and spraying perfumes — generates pollutants and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Jennings adds.
    — Tracy Achonwa, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In 2006, the Charger stormed the market as a rubber-burning full-size sedan that gained muscle over the years, culminating in a 797-horsepower variant.
    — Matt Degen, AJC.com, 23 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
  • Life was crazy and the entertainment business was weird and journalism was infuriating.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Cummings said that in January 2021, a friend of Birchmore’s called Stoughton police and told a dispatcher about the illicit relationship, infuriating Farwell.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of infuriating
Verb
  • The assailants used firearms and explosives, igniting the vehicle.
    — Widlore Mérancourt, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Juba, South SudanAP — A drone strike on a market in Abyei, a border region disputed by Sudan and South Sudan, hit a nearby fuel depot, killing at least 153 people and igniting a fire that was still burning Tuesday, a local official said.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of igniting
Adjective
  • Advertisement Here’s exactly how to handle this maddening situation—including when and how best to speak up.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • As an emergency physician, what is so maddening about a case like hers is that the medicine is not mysterious.
    — Dara Kass, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of maddening
Verb
  • The administration removed hundreds of trees from the East Potomac Golf Links over the weekend, enraging the judge.
    — Julia Boehning, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Unbearably painful and enraging for the one, surely pretty darn awkward for the other.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of enraging

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Cite this Entry

“Inflaming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflaming. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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