inflammatory

IPA/ɪnˈflæmətri/
KK[ɪnflˈæmətˌɔri]IPA/ɪnˈflæmətɔːri/

inflammatory — adjective

  • inflammatorypositive
  • more inflammatorycomparative
  • most inflammatorysuperlative

1. Intended to make people feel angry or hostile, especially towards a particular p

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

Intended to make people feel angry or hostile, especially towards a particular person, group, or idea.

Example

Tanvi's inflammatory remarks about the new policy sparked heated debate in the office.

collocation: inflammatory remarks / inflammatory speech

Liang, the editor of a local newspaper, refused to publish the article on immigration, calling it unnecessarily inflammatory.

predicative use: be + inflammatory

Common collocations
  • inflammatory remarks
  • inflammatory speech
  • inflammatory comments
  • inflammatory headlines
  • inflammatory language
  • inflammatory post
Synonyms
  • provocative

    More neutral — can be positive or negative; does not necessarily imply harmful intent

  • incendiary

    Stronger, often suggesting that the speech could lead to violence or destruction

  • divisive

    Focuses on creating disagreement between groups rather than anger itself

Antonyms
  • conciliatory

    Intended to calm people down and resolve conflict

  • peaceful

    Describes language or actions that promote harmony rather than anger

Grammar Patterns

inflammatory + noun

be + inflammatory

Usage Note

Often used before nouns such as 'remarks', 'speech', 'comments', 'headlines', or 'language'. Common in news reporting and political discussion, where it carries a strongly negative judgement about the speaker's intention.

Common Mistakes

His inflammatory joke made everyone laugh.
His offensive joke made everyone laugh.
'inflammatory' suggests deliberately provoking anger or conflict, not just being mildly rude or inappropriate.
The movie was inflammatory and I loved it.
The movie was provocative and I loved it.
'inflammatory' has a strongly negative tone and implies harmful intent; 'provocative' is more neutral and can be positive.

2. Relating to a biological process in which the body responds to harm by turning a

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

Relating to a biological process in which the body responds to harm by turning an area red, swollen, warm, and sore.

Example

A cold compress helped bring down the inflammatory swelling in Dewi's sprained ankle.

collocation: inflammatory swelling

Jiwoo was diagnosed with an inflammatory bowel condition that required changes to her diet.

attributive: inflammatory + disease / condition

Common collocations
  • inflammatory response
  • inflammatory disease
  • inflammatory condition
  • inflammatory markers
  • inflammatory bowel disease
  • inflammatory swelling
  • inflammatory process
Synonyms
  • inflamed

    Describes the state of a specific body part rather than a type of medical condition or response

  • irritated

    Less technical, used for milder reactions that may not involve the full inflammatory response

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

inflammatory + noun

Usage Note

Common in medical and clinical contexts. Frequently modifies nouns such as 'response', 'disease', 'condition', 'markers', and 'process'. The noun form 'inflammation' and the opposite term 'anti-inflammatory' (adjective and noun) are very frequent in the same contexts.

Common Mistakes

I have an inflammatory shoulder from lifting weights.
My shoulder is inflamed from lifting weights.
'inflammatory' describes the medical process or type of condition, not a body part that is currently swollen or painful.
The spicy food made my mouth inflammatory.
The spicy food irritated my mouth.
'inflammatory' is a clinical term for a specific biological response; 'irritated' is the correct everyday word for minor discomfort.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words describe language or actions that stir up strong feelings, but they differ in intensity and focus. 'Provocative' is the broadest and most neutral term — a provocative statement may simply challenge conventional thinking without any harmful intent, as in 'a provocative documentary about climate change.' 'Inflammatory' carries a stronger negative judgement: it implies the speaker deliberately intends to make people angry or hostile. 'Incendiary' is the strongest of the three, suggesting language likely to cause violence or destruction, much like a fire starting in a crowd. 'Divisive' focuses not on anger but on creating disagreement that splits people into opposing camps, which may happen whether or not the speaker intended it.

provocativeincendiary ↗divisive ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs