inflame

verb

in-ˈflām How to pronounce inflame (audio)
variants also enflame
Definition of inflamenext
1
as in to infuriate
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 to burn
to set (something) on fire a carelessly tossed cigarette inflamed the papers in the trash can

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 inflame Democrats have been shut out of power in the House, Senate, and presidency since January 2025—the kind of situation that can inflame populist sentiment in an opposition party. — Thomas Shull, Washington Post, 9 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 killing of a woman in Okinawa has sparked an outcry across Japan and inflamed long-simmering tensions over the US military presence on the island. — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 7 Oct. 2026 The incident could further inflame tensions between the Koreas, which have no working military hotlines or other emergency communications channels as North Korea hardens its stance toward Seoul while expanding its military nuclear program. — Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inflame
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inflame
  1. infuriate
  2. burn
  3. anger
  4. ignite
  5. enrage
  6. scorch
  7. irritate
  8. light
Verb
  • Trip isn’t the standout role, but Keery handles the character’s exasperated monologues with panache, turning self-defense and infuriated straight-talk into acts of exhilarating sanity.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 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 infuriate
Verb
  • Neurons are closer to Formula One race cars than to family sedans, burning fuel at a furious rate and threatening to blow up at any moment.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Wall Street analysts are trying to discern whether Big Tech will continue to burn cash or not.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of burn
Verb
  • No commercial goods have entered the Gaza Strip for two days, Israeli authorities said Thursday, blaming the suspension on merchants angered by taxes imposed by the militant group Hamas — a claim that Palestinian importers deny.
    — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The dispute over the report, which tackled an issue close to Weiss, forced CBS News to delay promotion of the episode and angered Stahl, who felt compelled to defend her reporting at a late stage of production.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of anger
Verb
  • In modern nuclear weapons, conventional explosives set off a fission reaction—the splitting of big atoms—whose intensity then ignites a fusion reaction that combines light atoms.
    — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • When the tin fog is ignited, the explosion produces a plasma fifty times hotter than the surface of the sun.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of ignite
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 enrage
Verb
  • The Norte fire — the most devastating blaze — scorched more than 570 acres in residential neighborhoods in San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, damaging or destroying at least six homes.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • That was the update last week at a meeting of the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG), a confab of scientists whose research interests focus on the scorching world just sunward from Earth.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of scorch
Verb
  • Some develop in varicose veins; others form where a needle or IV has irritated a vein.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • So testing a movie that temporarily sounds irritating is really, really hard.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of irritate
Verb
  • The first practical transformer was switched on about 15 miles down the road, in 1886, when William Stanley lit stores and offices lining Great Barrington’s Main Street.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Taking a shower, changing your clothes or lighting a candle after work can also create a transition.
    — Melody Wilding, Contributor, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of light

Browse Nearby Words

infixing
inflame
inflamed
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Cite this Entry

“Inflame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inflame. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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