incendiary 1 of 2

noun

Definition of incendiarynext
1
as in torch
a person who deliberately and unlawfully sets fire to a building or other property firefighters caught the incendiary, who was watching the effects of his handiwork

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2
as in firebrand
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent blamed the protests on outside incendiaries who were intent on overthrowing the government

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

incendiary

2 of 2

adjective

in-ˈsen-dē-ˌer-ē How to pronounce incendiary (audio)
as in provocative
tending to excite political disorder or insurrection recklessly made incendiary remarks during a period of heightened racial tensions

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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 incendiary
Noun
Ukrainian officers also accused Russia of using incendiaries in attacks on the city of Bakhmut last year. — Brad Lendon, CNN, 7 Sep. 2024 But the only traditional incendiaries in the story are the radical Protestant preacher Anne Askew (Erin Doherty), a friend of Katherine’s, and Henry’s minion, Bishop Stephen Gardiner, played by an inquisitorial Simon Russell Beale. — Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 14 June 2024
Adjective
Then there are novels that just feel online, deploying punchy paragraphs with ample white space, juxtaposing the everyday with the incendiary, the poetic, and the absurd. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 Before the streamer Hasan Piker was making headlines ahead of the Michigan Democratic Senate primary last month for his incendiary remarks, the British government barred him from entering the country to take part in a debate at the Oxford Union. — Roger Friedlander, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incendiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incendiary
  1. torch
  2. firebrand
  3. provocative
  4. rebel
  5. inflammatory
  6. insurgent
  7. provocateur
  8. demagogue
Noun
  • To the right, artificial houseplants stand in a currently dry fountain bedecked in blue light, and presided over by statue holding a candelabra-style light fixture like a torch.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Using a kitchen torch, toast meringue until deep golden brown.
    — Tanya Bush, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of torch
Noun
  • Then the rise of talk radio, fueled by right-wing firebrand Limbaugh, and the advent of cable TV, especially Fox News and MSNBC (now MS NOW), started to balkanize the media landscape.
    — Edward Robert McClelland, Chicago Tribune, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Acton holds a narrow edge over Republican firebrand Vivek Ramaswamy, while Kaptur is contending with a tough reelection battle after Ohio Republicans redrew the boundaries of the longtime congresswoman’s district to pull in more GOP voters.
    — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of firebrand
Adjective
  • The compelling series achieves a provocative dissection of it all with rare confidence without the overindulgence of distracting CGI tossed in for sheer spectacle.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The latest comments therefore seemed predictable to regular viewers, rather than unexpectedly provocative.
    — Omar L. Gallaga, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of provocative
Noun
  • The latest conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for oil shipments.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The latest conflict between the Saudis and the Houthis began last month after the rebels seized key areas along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical waterway for Gulf oil shipments.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • And a Gallup poll last year revealed a majority of Americans feel that both parties have gone too far in their use of inflammatory rhetoric to criticize their opponents.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Bronchial asthma, or simply asthma, is, according to the Cleveland Clinic, a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that causes the breathing tubes in the lungs to swell, narrow, and produce extra mucus.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of inflammatory
Noun
  • Raman, who now occupies the insurgent role in the race, seemed to see the fires less as an indictment of the system than of Bass.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Rwanda has acknowledged defensive “security coordinationâ€� with the M23 insurgents, who have held large swaths of mineral-rich eastern DR Congo for more than a year.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • Feigenbaum offered a more cautious interpretation, describing some of the violent perpetrators as fringe provocateurs who exploit broader demonstrations without necessarily directing them.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Mungiu’s prickly, nonjudgmental studies of human behavior have sometimes led him to be branded as a provocateur.
    — Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of provocateur
Noun
  • Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues—one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues — one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of demagogue

Browse Nearby Words

incendiaries
incendiary
incense
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Cite this Entry

“Incendiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incendiary. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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