inflammatory
inflammatory Lexical Profile
inflammatory Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
(especially of speech or writing) arousing or intended to arouse angry or violent feelings.
"The speaker was criticized for making inflammatory remarks during the debate."
(in medicine) relating to or causing inflammation of a part of the body.
"The physician prescribed medication to treat the patient's chronic inflammatory condition."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'inflammatory' with 'inflammable' (or 'flammable'); 'inflammatory' is used figuratively for speech or actions that provoke anger and medically for tissue swelling, whereas 'inflammable' means easily set on fire.
• Rhymes for inflammatory
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 17th century from French inflammatoire, derived from Medieval Latin inflammatorius, from the Latin verb inflammare ('to set on fire'), from in- ('into, upon') and flamma ('flame').