combustible
Americanadjective
-
capable of catching fire and burning; inflammable; flammable.
Gasoline vapor is highly combustible.
-
easily excited.
a high-strung, combustible nature.
noun
adjective
-
capable of igniting and burning
-
easily annoyed; excitable
noun
Other Word Forms
- combustibility noun
- combustibleness noun
- combustibly adverb
- uncombustible adjective
Etymology
Origin of combustible
From the Late Latin word combūstibilis, dating back to 1520–30. See combust, -ible
Explanation
Combustible means "able to catch fire," like matches or the extremely dry forest floors that people sometimes forget are combustible — until they go up in flames. When the adjective combustible first entered the English language in the sixteenth century, it was used to describe things that burn easily. The word soon came to apply not only to objects that ignite but also to tempers that are prone to "catch fire" easily. If you’ve ever been around a person who has a combustible temper, you can understand the connection.
Vocabulary lists containing combustible
Automobiles
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100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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The Great Fire
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Evidence presented at hearings last week showed that government departments failed to effectively address residents' complaints about construction workers smoking on site and the use of combustible building materials during renovations.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
If those Lakers — combustible and bored but built better than every other team on the planet at the time — could turn the triple play, so can Roberts’ drama-free superteam.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
His evolution from snarling, combustible forward to considered, methodical manager has surprised some people who may not have followed his career as closely once he had retired.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
The romantic intrigue involving Hedda, Lovborg and Thea is more passionately combustible than the one involving Hedda, George and Judge Brack.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
Ghosts were not combustible, and neither was mesarthium, so there had been no risk of her setting the citadel alight.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
