incendiary
C1Formal; used in news, legal, military, and political contexts.
Definition
Meaning
Designed to cause fires; (of speech or writing) intended to cause strong feelings, anger, or violence.
A person or device that deliberately starts fires or stirs up conflict.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term bridges a literal physical meaning (fire-starting) and a highly figurative social/political one (provocative). The figurative sense is more common in modern usage.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major differences in core meaning. The device sense ('incendiary bomb') is equally common in historical military contexts. Figurative use ('incendiary rhetoric') is prevalent in both.
Connotations
Strongly negative in figurative use, implying malicious intent to destabilise. In literal use, it is a technical/military descriptor.
Frequency
Figurative use is more frequent than literal in general discourse.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Adj] + noun (an incendiary device)[Adj] + noun (incendiary comments)Be + [Adj] + (His speech was incendiary.)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “To fan the flames (related conceptually)”
- “To add fuel to the fire (related conceptually)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in crisis PR: 'The CEO's incendiary email caused a shareholder revolt.'
Academic
Used in history, political science, and media studies to describe rhetoric or propaganda.
Everyday
Uncommon in casual chat. Used when describing highly provocative statements or actions.
Technical
Precise term in military/forensics for fire-starting weapons or devices.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The rebels sought to incendiarise the government buildings.
- (Note: 'incendiarise' is rare; 'set fire to' is standard.)
American English
- Prosecutors argued he conspired to incendiarize the warehouse. (Rare/legalistic)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- (Not typical for A2. Use 'fire' instead.)
- The police found an incendiary device in the old factory.
- The journalist's incendiary article about corruption led to widespread protests.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'INCENSE' which can mean to make angry + 'DIARY' where you write things. An incendiary statement is writing/speech that makes people burning angry.
Conceptual Metaphor
ANGER/ CONFLICT IS FIRE. Provocative speech is a device that ignites social fires.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не путать с 'интендант' (supply officer). Ближайшие аналоги: 'поджигательский' (букв. и перен.), 'зажигательный' (чаще в позитивном/музыкальном контексте).
Common Mistakes
- Using it to mean simply 'exciting' or 'energetic' in a positive way (incorrect). Confusing with 'insidious'. Spelling: 'incindiary' (missing 'e').
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the LEAST likely meaning of 'incendiary'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Almost never in modern standard English. Its core connotations are destructive (fire) or dangerously provocative. Using it to mean 'excitingly brilliant' is a mistake.
They are largely synonymous in figurative use. 'Incendiary' can feel more literal/violent (like a bomb), while 'inflammatory' is more medical/metaphorical (causing swelling/anger). 'Incendiary' has the additional literal meaning of fire-starting.
It is a mid-frequency word, common in specific contexts like news reporting (e.g., 'incendiary device'), political analysis, and historical writing, but not in everyday casual conversation.
The person can be called an 'incendiary' (e.g., 'He was a political incendiary'). More commonly, they are described with phrases like 'firebrand', 'rabble-rouser', or 'agitator'.
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