as in provocative
tending to excite political disorder or insurrection
the restless crowd was stirred up by the inflammatory rhetoric
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Recent Examples of inflammatory
At present, the only way to confirm most causes of acute kidney injury is via biopsy, which can reveal tissue inflammation, cellular damage or the presence of inflammatory cells.
—
Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation—aka darkness that is left behind after inflammation, similar to dark spots.
—Caroline Shannon Karasik, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
The treatment can cause a serious reaction called cytokine release syndrome, in which the immune system releases a storm of inflammatory proteins into the bloodstream.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
When Iranian militants kidnapped 52 US diplomats in 1979, advisers to President Jimmy Carter suggested seizing Kharg but the plan was rejected as being too inflammatory.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inflammatory
Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Scientific American, 17 Mar. 2026
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation—aka darkness that is left behind after inflammation, similar to dark spots.
—Caroline Shannon Karasik, InStyle, 15 Mar. 2026
The treatment can cause a serious reaction called cytokine release syndrome, in which the immune system releases a storm of inflammatory proteins into the bloodstream.
—Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
When Iranian militants kidnapped 52 US diplomats in 1979, advisers to President Jimmy Carter suggested seizing Kharg but the plan was rejected as being too inflammatory.
—Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for inflammatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflammatory
Adjective
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His savior was the experimental documentarian Harun Farocki, famous for provocative works that skewered bourgeois complacency.—
Holden Seidlitz,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
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The book includes provocative texts from Semiotext(e) contributors like Chris Kraus, Hedi El Kholti, Abdellah Taïa, Lauren Mackler and French novelist Constance Debré, among others.—
Sammy Loren,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Lai, an outspoken critic of China’s ruling Communist Party who founded the now-defunct Apple Daily, was found guilty in December of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiring with others to publish seditious articles.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
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He was also found guilty of one count of publishing seditious materials under colonial-era legislation.—
Jennifer Jett,
NBC news,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Critics, including such prominent right-wing voices like Matt Walsh, have raised the alarm about her increasingly incendiary rhetoric.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
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These lower guardrails have led the chatbot to generate controversial or incendiary outputs at times, for example churning out antisemitic posts after a technical update in July.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inflammatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflammatory. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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