Dictionary Definition
inflame
Verb
1 cause inflammation in; "The repetitive motion
inflamed her joint"
2 catch fire; "The dried grass of the prairie
kindled, spreading the flames for miles" [syn: kindle]
3 cause to start burning; "The setting sun
kindled the sky with oranges and reds" [syn: kindle, enkindle, conflagrate]
4 arouse or excite feelings and passions; "The
ostentatious way of living of the rich ignites the hatred of the
poor"; "The refugees' fate stirred up compassion around the world";
"Wake old feelings of hatred" [syn: stir up, wake, ignite, heat, fire up]
5 become inflamed; get sore; "His throat
inflamed"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -eɪm
Verb
- To set on fire; to kindle; to cause to burn, flame, or glow.
- Figurative: To kindle or intensify, as passion or appetite; to excite to an excessive or unnatural action or heat; as, to inflame desire.
- To provoke to anger or rage; to exasperate; to irritate; to incense; to enrage.
- To put in a state of inflammation; to produce morbid heat, congestion, or swelling, of; as, to inflame the eyes by overwork.
- To exaggerate; to enlarge upon.
- To grow morbidly hot, congested, or painful; to become angry or incensed.
Translations
set on fire
- German: anzünden, entflammen
kindle or intensify
- German: anregen
put in a state of inflammation
- German: sich entzünden
exaggerate
- German: aufpeitschen
grow morbidly hot, congested, or painful
- German: aufbrausen
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
afflict, aggravate, agitate, agonize, ail, anger, animate, annoy, arouse, augment, awake, awaken, bank, bite, blow the coals, blow up,
bristle, burn, burn up, call forth, call up,
carmine, chafe, conflagrate, convulse, crimson, crucify, cut, deepen, distress, drive, dynamize, electrify, embitter, energize, enkindle, enliven, enrage, exacerbate, exasperate, excite, excruciate, exhilarate, fan, fan the fire, fan the flame,
feed, feed the fire,
ferment, fester, fire, fire up, flame, foment, frenzy, fret, fuel, gall, galvanize, get, give pain, gnaw, goad, grate, grind, gripe, harrow, hearten, heat, heat up, heighten, henna, huff, hurt, ignite, impassion, incarnadine, incense, incite, increase, inflict pain,
infuriate, instigate, intensify, invigorate, irritate, jazz up, key up, kill
by inches, kindle,
lacerate, lash up,
lather up, light, light
the fuse, light up, lipstick, liven, madden, madder, martyr, martyrize, miff, miniate, motivate, move, nettle, nip, overexcite, pain, peeve, pep up, perk up, pierce, pinch, pique, prick, prod, prolong the agony, provoke, put out, put to
torture, put up to, quicken, rack, rally, rankle, rasp, red-ink, redden, rekindle, relight, relume, rile, roil, rouge, rouse, rub, rubify, rubric, ruddle, ruffle, rust, set astir, set fire to, set
on, set on fire, set up, sic on, snap up, spur on, stab, steam up, stimulate, sting, stir, stir the blood, stir the
embers, stir the feelings, stir the fire, stir up, stoke, stoke the fire, strike a
light, summon up, tickle,
torch, torment, torture, touch off, turn on,
tweak, twist, urge, vermilion, vex, vile, vitalize, wake, wake up, waken, warm, warm the blood, whet, whip up, work into, work up,
wound, wring, zip
up