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combustible
/kəmˈbʌs.tə.bəl/
able to catch fire
The laboratory strictly prohibits storing combustible materials near open flames.
The lab bans keeping flammable substances close to fire sources.
Engineering
technical
Capable of igniting and burning easily.
Petroleum products are highly combustible and require careful handling.
Oil-based fuels burn easily and must be stored with caution.
Often used in safety regulations and technical contexts to describe materials prone to fire.
figurative
Likely to provoke anger or conflict.
His speech contained combustible rhetoric that sparked protests.
His inflammatory words incited public outrage.
Used metaphorically to describe language or actions that may escalate tension.
Collocations
Pro Tip
Avoid confusion with 'inflammable'
'Inflammable' means the same as 'flammable' (able to catch fire), despite the prefix 'in-' suggesting negation. Use 'non-flammable' for clarity.
Gold Rule
Technical vs. figurative use
Use 'combustible' for physical materials in engineering/safety contexts. For metaphorical escalation of conflict, pair it with terms like 'rhetoric' or 'situation'.
Word Origin
From Latin *combustibilis*, meaning 'capable of being burned,' from *combustus* (past participle of *combūrere*, 'to burn up'), from *com-* (intensive) + *ūrere* ('to burn').
Usage Notes
In everyday speech, 'flammable' is more commonly used than 'combustible,' though both are correct. 'Combustible' is preferred in technical and scientific contexts.
Word Breakdown
com-
intensive prefix
prefix-bust-
to burn
root-ible
able to be
suffixEnglish Dictionary