flare-up
B2Neutral to informal; common in everyday language, journalism, and medical contexts.
Definition
Meaning
A sudden, intense, and often short-lived outbreak or worsening of something negative, such as a disease, conflict, or fire.
Any sudden burst of activity, emotion, or intensity, including but not limited to medical conditions (eczema, arthritis), violence (fighting), natural phenomena (solar activity), or emotions (temper).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a countable noun. Implies a temporary intensification of a pre-existing condition or situation, not a completely new event. Often has a negative connotation but can be neutral (e.g., 'a flare-up of activity').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning. Spelling with hyphen ('flare-up') is standard in both, though unhyphenated 'flare up' is the verb form.
Connotations
Identical in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common and used in the same contexts in both BrE and AmE.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
flare-up of [NOUN (condition/conflict)]experience/suffer/have a flare-upcause/trigger/prevent a flare-upVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Tempers flared up.”
- “Trouble flared up in the region.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used metaphorically for sudden problems: 'a flare-up in tensions with suppliers'.
Academic
Used in medical/psychological literature: 'a flare-up of inflammatory markers'.
Everyday
Most common: health issues (arthritis, skin), arguments, or temporary trouble.
Technical
Specific in medicine (symptoms reappearing), astronomy (solar flares), and emergency services (fires).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- My psoriasis tends to flare up in winter.
- Tempers flared up during the council debate.
American English
- His back injury flared up after moving boxes.
- Protests flared up across several cities.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- She has a flare-up of her asthma sometimes.
- There was a flare-up of fighting.
- After the spicy food, he suffered a painful flare-up of gastritis.
- The debate caused a sudden flare-up in political tensions.
- The ceasefire was broken by a minor flare-up at the border.
- Managing stress can help prevent a flare-up of eczema.
- The sudden flare-up of sectarian violence caught the peacekeepers off guard.
- Researchers are studying the triggers that precipitate a flare-up in autoimmune disorders.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a match: it FLARES UP brightly and suddenly, then dies down. A 'flare-up' is like that—a sudden, intense, often brief problem.
Conceptual Metaphor
PROBLEMS ARE FIRE / INTENSITY IS HEAT. (e.g., 'Violence flared up', 'Inflammation flared up').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid literal translation. Not 'вспышка' for all contexts (e.g., 'flare-up of arthritis' is 'обострение артрита', not 'вспышка').
- Do not confuse with 'flash' or 'outburst' for medical conditions. In medical contexts, it's specifically a worsening of chronic symptoms.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'flare-up' for a first-time event (it implies recurrence).
- Misspelling as one word 'flareup' (standard is hyphenated).
- Confusing noun 'flare-up' with verb phrase 'flare up'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'flare-up' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While very common for medical conditions (arthritis, eczema), it's used for any sudden outbreak—violence, anger, fire, or activity.
'Outbreak' often suggests a new occurrence (an outbreak of flu), while 'flare-up' implies a sudden worsening or recurrence of an existing, often chronic, issue.
Typically no. It carries a negative or problematic connotation (pain, violence, trouble). A sudden positive burst would more likely be called a 'surge' or 'burst of activity'.
Yes, for the noun. The noun is 'flare-up'. The verb is the phrasal verb 'flare up' (no hyphen).