flammable
/ˈflæməbl̩/ adjective, noun
Forms flammables
- adjective Capable of burning. “flammable liquid”
- adjective Easily set on fire.
- adjective Subject to easy ignition and rapid flaming combustion.
- adjective (figurative) Very likely to cause fighting or controversy; extremely contentious.
- noun Any flammable substance.
Synonyms
inflammable[contranym]]ic senses> combustible ignitable inflammable
Antonyms
inflammable[contranym]]ic senses> non-flammable nonflammable noninflammable unflammable uninflammable fireproof incombustible
Etymology
Back-formation from inflammable, which is used to avoid confusion with non-flammable, as the prefix in- is often used to mean "un-; non-", although it was originally meant in a sense closely related to en-.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Inflammable. [Obs.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “flammable”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details