incendiary Hear it!

incendiary definition

in·cen·di·ary (in sen′dē er′ē; also, -dē ər ē)

adjective

  1. having to do with the willful destruction of property by fire
  2. causing or designed to cause fires, as certain substances, bombs, etc.
  3. willfully stirring up strife, riot, rebellion, etc.

Etymology: L incendiarius, setting on fire, an incendiary < incendium, a fire < incendere: see incense

noun pl. incendiaries -·ar′·ies

  1. a person who willfully destroys property by fire
  2. a person who willfully stirs up strife, riot, rebellion, etc.
  3. an incendiary bomb, substance, etc.

Related Forms:

  • incendiarism in·cen′·dia·rism′ (-dē ə riz′əm) noun

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

law incendiary definition - legal

incendiary Synonyms

incendiary

modif.

  1. Combustible

    ignitable, burnable, flammable; see burning 1, inflammable.

  2. Stirring up strife or rebellion

    inflammatory, provocative, subversive; see dangerous 1, inflammatory, rebellious 2, treacherous 2.


incendiary

n.

  1. Arsonist

    pyromaniac, firebug*, petroleur (French); see arsonist, criminal.

  2. An agitator

    insurgent, instigator, provocateur (French); see agitator, rebel 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

incendiary Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • bomb: An incendiary bomb through the roof into the kitchen.

Modifying Another Word

  • particularly: Tonight's show â incidentally their biggest UK headline gig to date â is a particularly incendiary affair.

Used with adjective complement

  • become: As the first note was struck the audience erupted into a sea of flying bodies and the already hot atmosphere became incendiary.
incendiary usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

Link to this page:

Cite this page:

MLA Style

"incendiary." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/incendiary>

APA Style

incendiary. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/incendiary

Comments:

Please or Register to post a comment