Inflame: meaning, definitions and examples
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inflame
[ ɪnˈfleɪm ]
to provoke
To provoke or intensify strong feelings or actions, especially anger or violence. To cause a situation to become more intense or worse. To make a physical condition worse by causing pain, swelling, or redness.
Synonyms
aggravate, irritate, provoke, worsen.
Which Synonym Should You Choose?
Word | Description / Examples |
---|---|
inflame |
Used when speaking about causing intense emotion, often anger or passion, and sometimes to describe the worsening of medical conditions.
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provoke |
Used in situations where someone or something is causing a reaction, especially anger or strong feelings. It has a slightly negative connotation.
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aggravate |
Often used when talking about making a problem, injury, or situation worse. It has a slightly negative connotation.
|
worsen |
Typically used in formal contexts to describe a situation or condition that is becoming worse.
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irritate |
Typically used when describing causing someone to feel annoyed or causing a physical reaction like itching or redness.
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Examples of usage
- He tried to inflame the crowd with his speech.
- The comments only served to inflame an already tense situation.
- The injury was inflamed and painful.
to ignite
To cause a substance to catch fire or burn. To flare up suddenly or become more intense.
Synonyms
Which Synonym Should You Choose?
Word | Description / Examples |
---|---|
inflame |
Used when talking about arousing strong emotions, often negative ones like anger, or medical conditions involving swelling and redness.
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ignite |
Primarily used to describe setting something on fire or triggering a strong reaction, often excitement or passion.
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kindle |
Commonly used to describe starting a fire gently or sparking emotions, usually positive ones like love or interest.
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enflame |
A less common spelling variant of 'inflame', can also be used for arousing emotions or medical conditions, but it's rarely used in modern English.
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Examples of usage
- The sparks inflamed the dry grass.
- The situation inflamed into a full-blown conflict.
Translations
Translations of the word "inflame" in other languages:
🇵🇹 inflamar
- acender
- incendiar
🇮🇳 भड़काना
- जलाना
- उकसाना
🇩🇪 entzünden
- entflammen
- anfachen
🇮🇩 menyulut
- membakar
- menyulutkan
🇺🇦 запалювати
- розпалювати
- підпалювати
🇵🇱 rozpalić
- zapalić
- podburzać
🇯🇵 燃え上がらせる (moeagaraseru)
- 炎上させる (enjou saseru)
- 煽る (煽る)
🇫🇷 enflammer
- incendier
- allumer
🇪🇸 inflamar
- encender
- incendiar
🇹🇷 ateşlemek
- tutuşturmak
- kışkırtmak
🇰🇷 불붙이다
- 자극하다
- 선동하다
🇸🇦 يشتعل
- يشعل
- يثير
🇨🇿 zapálit
- rozžhavit
- rozvášnit
🇸🇰 zapáliť
- rozhorieť
- rozvášniť
🇨🇳 点燃 (diǎnrán)
- 燃烧 (ránshāo)
- 激起 (jīqǐ)
🇸🇮 vžgati
- vneti
- podžgati
🇮🇸 kveikja
- kynda
- æsa
🇰🇿 тұтандыру
- өртеу
- қоздыру
🇬🇪 აალება
- აანთება
- აღზევება
🇦🇿 alışdırmaq
- yandırmaq
- qızışdırmaq
🇲🇽 inflamar
- encender
- incendiar
Etymology
The word 'inflame' originated from Middle English 'enflamen', from Old French 'enflamer', from Latin 'inflammare' meaning 'to set on fire'. The figurative sense of 'to excite, to rouse' dates back to the late 14th century.
See also: enflame, flambeau, flamboyance, flamboyant, flamelet, flamer, flames, flamethrower, flaming, flammable, inflaming, inflammable, inflammation.