Adjacent Words

Inflame definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

INFLA'ME, v.t. [L. inflammo; in and flamma, flame.]
1. To set on fire; to kindle; to cause to burn; in a literal sense. But more generally,
2. To excite or increase, as passion or appetite; to enkindle into violent action; as, to inflame love, lust or thirst; to inflame desire or anger.
3. To exaggerate; to aggravate in description.
A friend exaggerates a man's virtues, an enemy inflames his crimes. [Unusual.]
4. To heat; to excite excessive action in the blood; as to inflame the blood or body; to inflame with wine.
5. To provoke; to irritate; to anger.
6. To increase; to exasperate; as, to inflame the enmity of parties, or the spirit of sedition.
7. To increase; to augment; as, to inflame a presumption.
INFLA'ME, v.i. To grow hot, angry and painful.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: cause inflammation in; "The repetitive motion inflamed her joint"
2: catch fire; "The dried grass of the prairie kindled, spreading the flames for miles" [syn: kindle, inflame]
3: cause to start burning; "The setting sun kindled the sky with oranges and reds" [syn: kindle, enkindle, conflagrate, inflame]
4: arouse or excite feelings and passions; "The ostentatious way of living of the rich ignites the hatred of the poor"; "The refugees' fate stirred up compassion around the world"; "Wake old feelings of hatred" [syn: inflame, stir up, wake, ignite, heat, fire up]
5: become inflamed; get sore; "His throat inflamed"

Merriam Webster's

also enflame verb (inflamed; also enflamed; inflaming; also enflaming) Etymology: Middle English enflamen, from Anglo-French enflamer, from Latin inflammare, from in- + flamma flame Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to excite to excessive or uncontrollable action or feeling; especially to make angry b. to make more heated or violent ; intensify <insults served only to inflame the feud> 2. to set on fire ; kindle 3. to cause to redden or grow hot from anger or excitement <a face inflamed with passion> 4. to cause inflammation in (bodily tissue) intransitive verb 1. to burst into flame 2. to become excited or angered 3. to become affected with inflammation • inflamer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. & intr. (often foll. by with, by) provoke or become provoked to strong feeling, esp. anger. 2 Med. a intr. become hot, reddened, and sore. b tr. cause inflammation or fever in (a body etc.); make hot. 3 tr. aggravate. 4 intr. & tr. catch or set on fire. 5 tr. light up with or as if with flames. Derivatives: inflamer n. Etymology: ME f. OF enflammer f. L inflammare (as IN-(2), flamma flame)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Inflame In*flame", v. i. To grow morbidly hot, congested, or painful; to become angry or incensed. --Wiseman.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Inflame In*flame", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Inflamed; p. pr. & vb. n. Inflaming.] [OE. enflamen, OF. enflamer, F. enflammer, L. inflammare, inflammatum; pref. in- in + flammare to flame, fr. flamma flame. See Flame.] 1. To set on fire; to kindle; to cause to burn, flame, or glow. We should have made retreat By light of the inflamed fleet. --Chapman. 2. Fig.: To kindle or intensify, as passion or appetite; to excite to an excessive or unnatural action or heat; as, to inflame desire. Though more,it seems, Inflamed with lust than rage. --Milton. But, O inflame and fire our hearts. --Dryden. 3. To provoke to anger or rage; to exasperate; to irritate; to incense; to enrage. It will inflame you; it will make you mad. --Shak. 4. (Med.) To put in a state of inflammation; to produce morbid heat, congestion, or swelling, of; as, to inflame the eyes by overwork. 5. To exaggerate; to enlarge upon. [Obs.] A friend exaggerates a man's virtues, an enemy inflames his crimes. --Addison. Syn: To provoke; fire; kindle; irritate; exasperate; incense; enrage; anger; excite; arouse.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(inflames, inflaming, inflamed) If something inflames a situation or inflames people's feelings, it makes people feel even more strongly about something. (JOURNALISM) The General holds the rebels responsible for inflaming the situation... VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Excite, stimulate, enkindle, incite, fire, rouse, arouse, animate, inspirit, set on, work up, stir up. 2. Exasperate, irritate, nettle, provoke, anger, enrage, incense, madden, infuriate. II. v. n. 1. Take fire. 2. Become excited, grow angry. 3. Grow red, feverish, and angry.

Moby Thesaurus

afflict, aggravate, agitate, agonize, ail, anger, animate, annoy, arouse, augment, awake, awaken, bank, bite, blow the coals, blow up, bristle, burn, burn up, call forth, call up, carmine, chafe, conflagrate, convulse, crimson, crucify, cut, deepen, distress, drive, dynamize, electrify, embitter, energize, enkindle, enliven, enrage, exacerbate, exasperate, excite, excruciate, exhilarate, fan, fan the fire, fan the flame, feed, feed the fire, ferment, fester, fire, fire up, flame, foment, frenzy, fret, fuel, gall, galvanize, get, give pain, gnaw, goad, grate, grind, gripe, harrow, hearten, heat, heat up, heighten, henna, huff, hurt, ignite, impassion, incarnadine, incense, incite, increase, inflict pain, infuriate, instigate, intensify, invigorate, irritate, jazz up, key up, kill by inches, kindle, lacerate, lash up, lather up, light, light the fuse, light up, lipstick, liven, madden, madder, martyr, martyrize, miff, miniate, motivate, move, nettle, nip, overexcite, pain, peeve, pep up, perk up, pierce, pinch, pique, prick, prod, prolong the agony, provoke, put out, put to torture, put up to, quicken, rack, rally, rankle, rasp, red-ink, redden, rekindle, relight, relume, rile, roil, rouge, rouse, rub, rubify, rubric, ruddle, ruffle, rust, set astir, set fire to, set on, set on fire, set up, sic on, snap up, spur on, stab, steam up, stimulate, sting, stir, stir the blood, stir the embers, stir the feelings, stir the fire, stir up, stoke, stoke the fire, strike a light, summon up, tickle, torch, torment, torture, touch off, turn on, tweak, twist, urge, vermilion, vex, vile, vitalize, wake, wake up, waken, warm, warm the blood, whet, whip up, work into, work up, wound, wring, zip up