ENGLISH
REFERENCE

flammable

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈfɫæməbəɫ// UK //flˈæməbəl// flammable

adj. describing something that catches fire very easily and burns quickly. You often see this word on warning labels for liquids or gases.

adj. capable of being easily ignited and of burning with extreme rapidity. Often used as a safety warning on hazardous materials.


SIMPLE

Be careful because this cleaning liquid is highly flammable.

CONTEXTUAL

The fire spread quickly through the warehouse because the curtains were made of a highly flammable synthetic fabric.

COMPLEX

Safety regulations require all industrial chemicals to be stored in specialized containers that prevent the accidental ignition of flammable vapors during transport.

Synonyms
Origin

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-.

Usage

Often used interchangeably with 'inflammable', which carries the same meaning despite the 'in-' prefix.

Pitfall

This wood is non-flammableThis wood is non-flammable / flame-resistantLearners sometimes assume 'inflammable' is the opposite of 'flammable' because of the 'in-' prefix, but both words mean the same thing; the true opposite is 'non-flammable'.

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