combustible

/kəmˈbʌstəbl/ (bre, ipa) · /kəmˈbʌstəbl/ (ame, ipa) · /kəm-ˈbə-stə-bəl/ (ame, mw)

combustible — adjective

  • combustiblepositive
  • more combustiblecomparative
  • most combustiblesuperlative

1. describes a material that starts to burn when fire or heat is put near it, so it

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describes a material that starts to burn when fire or heat is put near it, so it needs careful handling and storage.

例句

Ayana stored the combustible cleaning rags inside a metal bin near the back door.

attributive: combustible + noun (rags)

Dry pine needles are highly combustible during the long summer months in California.

predicative: be + (highly) combustible

同義詞
  • flammable

    more common in everyday English; same meaning, less formal.

  • inflammable

    same meaning as 'flammable' despite the 'in-' prefix; often avoided on safety labels because learners read it as the opposite.

  • ignitable

    technical; used on fire-safety and chemical data sheets.

反義詞
  • non-combustible

    official safety label for materials that will not catch fire (e.g. concrete, steel).

  • fireproof

    stronger claim — actively resists fire damage, not just hard to ignite.

文法句型

combustible + noun

be combustible

用法筆記

Subject is usually a physical material or substance (rags, gas, leaves, chemicals). Common in safety, building, and industrial writing; in everyday speech people more often say 'flammable'.

常見錯誤

❌Ritu felt combustible after the rude email.
✅Ritu felt furious after the rude email.
💡'combustible' describes things that can catch fire, not people's moods in everyday English.
❌The wet leaves are very combustible.
✅The dry leaves are very combustible.
💡wet material does not burn easily, so 'combustible' does not fit.