inflammatory

inflammatory — adjective

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

1.形容詞B2
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • conciliatory

    Intended to calm people down and resolve conflict

  • peaceful

    Describes language or actions that promote harmony rather than anger

文法句型

inflammatory + noun

be + inflammatory

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.形容詞B2
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞

文法句型

inflammatory + noun

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.