incendiary 1 of 2

noun

Definition of incendiarynext
1
as in torch
a person who deliberately and unlawfully sets fire to a building or other property firefighters caught the incendiary, who was watching the effects of his handiwork

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in firebrand
a person who stirs up public feelings especially of discontent blamed the protests on outside incendiaries who were intent on overthrowing the government

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

incendiary

2 of 2

adjective

in-ˈsen-dē-ˌer-ē How to pronounce incendiary (audio)
as in provocative
tending to excite political disorder or insurrection recklessly made incendiary remarks during a period of heightened racial tensions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of incendiary
Noun
Ukrainian officers also accused Russia of using incendiaries in attacks on the city of Bakhmut last year. — Brad Lendon, CNN, 7 Sep. 2024 But the only traditional incendiaries in the story are the radical Protestant preacher Anne Askew (Erin Doherty), a friend of Katherine’s, and Henry’s minion, Bishop Stephen Gardiner, played by an inquisitorial Simon Russell Beale. — Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 14 June 2024
Adjective
Earlier Thursday in Munich, several incendiary devices were thrown at a construction site near a building where several companies, including from the defense sector, are located, the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office said. — Claudia Ciobanu, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 For May, a marketplace for monetizing secrets and destroying trust was only one component of a larger machine of institutional destruction, an incendiary device that would melt governments into liquid crypto-anarchy. — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incendiary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incendiary
  1. torch
  2. firebrand
  3. provocative
  4. rebel
  5. inflammatory
  6. insurgent
  7. provocateur
  8. demagogue
Noun
  • Ancient viewers would have relied on beeswax and tallow candles, incense burners and torches.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Getting to finalize major touchpoints such as the torch relay, the mascot and the medal designs while preparing to makeover existing venues signal excitement and confidence in the organization’s process.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of torch
Noun
  • One was a $750,000 donation to the California Republican Party and the other a $100,000 check to Reform California, the political organization run by firebrand conservative Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-Valley Center.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Mélenchon, 75, a veteran anti-capitalist firebrand, finished third in the 2022 presidential election and fourth in both 2017 and 2012.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of firebrand
Adjective
  • The spot urges a woman to vote for Hilton, who says its provocative humor is meant to reach Californians open to change despite his party affiliation.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The panel wrapped with a provocative audience question from an NBCUniversal exec who asked the panel what the best path forward for her company would be.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of provocative
Noun
  • The rebels have also intensified their attacks across the border into Saudi Arabia, attacking its oil facilities and preventing its tankers from passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, through which around 12% of global trade passes.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • While the British prevailed over the rebels, the uprising laid the foundations for African nationalism.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of rebel
Adjective
  • Shaving, friction from clothing, ingrown hairs, and even certain deodorants can cause low-grade inflammation, which may lead to excess pigment known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH).
    — Glamour, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Disrupting plaque all day, not just morning and night, lowers the inflammatory load dentists tie to systemic disease.
    — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of inflammatory
Noun
  • They’re seen as oligarchs, as the people with wealth and power, controlling our lives—not as outsider insurgents.
    — Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Others look further back to early and sporadic insurgent activity in 1964, before the UDI, or to 1965, the year of the UDI (November 11) itself.
    — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of insurgent
Noun
  • Mungiu’s prickly, nonjudgmental studies of human behavior have sometimes led him to be branded as a provocateur.
    — Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Some of Abiy’s critics now see him as a provocateur whose actions could lead to hostilities in the Horn of Africa.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of provocateur
Noun
  • Unsheltered intertwined two plots related to the precarity of American life and the danger of demagogues — one set at the dawn of the MAGA era.
    — Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The country is in a fix about as bad as any demagogue is likely to put it in.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of demagogue

Browse Nearby Words

incendiaries
incendiary
incense
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incendiary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incendiary. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All