Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

incendiary

adjectiveHigh-frequency wordMore I words

tending to stir up conflict or strong emotion

Word origin: From Latin incendium, fire, from incendere, to set ablaze.

Test your vocabulary in a real test Full-length · no signup · instant score
In a sentence

Incendiary in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing incendiary in a sentence.

His incendiary speech inflamed the crowd into open rebellion.

The senator's incendiary remarks inflamed an already divided assembly, prompting shouts from both sides.

Synonyms
inflammatoryprovocativeseditiousrabble-rousing
Antonyms
calmingsoothing
Usage & nuance

Using “incendiary” well

Used figuratively, incendiary describes language or actions that deliberately stir up conflict or strong feeling; literally it refers to things that cause fire.

Common questions

Questions about “incendiary

Incendiary (adjective) means tending to stir up conflict or strong emotion
Here is incendiary used in an example sentence: "His incendiary speech inflamed the crowd into open rebellion." Another example: "The senator's incendiary remarks inflamed an already divided assembly, prompting shouts from both sides."
Common synonyms for incendiary include inflammatory, provocative, seditious, rabble-rousing.
Antonyms of incendiary include calming, soothing.
Incendiary clusters with inflammatory, provocative, seditious, and rabble-rousing in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms calming and soothing point to the contrasting choice.
Yes. Incendiary is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

See these words the way the GRE tests them.

Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.