conflagration

Advancedzipf 2.57

Pronunciation

/ˌkɒnfləˈɡreɪʃən/(kon-fluh-GRAY-shun)

Part of speech

nounformal

Chinese

大火；大规模冲突

Definition

An extensive and destructive fire; by extension, a large-scale conflict or war.

Word family

  • conflagrant/kənˈfleɪɡrənt/(adj)燃烧的

Collocations

  • massive conflagration
  • urban conflagration
  • global conflagration
  • conflagration of war

Examples

  1. 1.The conflagration consumed three city blocks before firefighters could contain it. (destructive fire)
  2. 2.What began as a border skirmish escalated into a conflagration that engulfed the entire region. (large-scale conflict)

Synonyms

  • inferno/ɪnˈfɜːrnoʊ/— intense fire, less formal
  • blaze/bleɪz/— large fire, neutral
  • holocaust/ˈhɒləkɔːst/— great destruction, historical weight

Etymology

from Latin "conflagrare" — con- (together) + flagrare (to burn) — everything burning together