Inflammatory

//ɪnˈflæmət(ə)ɹi// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any material that causes inflammation
Adjective
  1. 1
    Tending to inflame or provoke somebody.

    "Sam posted an inflammatory comment to the newsgroup."

  2. 2
    Relating to, causing, or caused by inflammation.

    "As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time."

Adjective
  1. 1
    characterized or caused by inflammation wordnet
  2. 2
    arousing to action or rebellion wordnet

Example

More examples

"What the mayor is claiming is spurious and inflammatory."

Etymology

From inflame + -atory.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.