1
as in inferno
a destructive burning the historic tavern burned to the ground in a horrible conflagration

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2
as in hostilities
a state of armed violent struggle between states, nations, or groups what began as a skirmish over disputed territory erupted into a conflagration that swept the continent

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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 conflagration Land clearing and logging slash fed serial conflagrations, which blew up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – the waning decades of the Little Ice Age. Stephen Pyne, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2025 Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert have ignored the conflagration that has engulfed this year’s standard-bearing #Resistance film. Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 19 Feb. 2025 Tallies are ongoing in the Palisades and Eaton fires, but the latest estimate is that the conflagrations seriously damaged or destroyed more than 11,100 single-family homes and more than 240 multifamily properties. Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025 According to the Associated Press, multiple fires erupted in southern California last week, killing at least 24 people, displacing thousands of others, and destroying more than 12,000 structures in what might be the most expensive conflagrations in the nation’s history. Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conflagration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflagration
Noun
  • The inferno that raged across the Palisades on Jan. 7 took thousands of homes and several lives.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2025
  • Despite tens of billions of dollars spent so far in California alone to reduce the risk of electric ignition, last month's infernos suggest that much more needs to be done to make sure the electric grid does not contribute to more tragedy.
    Jeff Young, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Security guarantees for Ukraine that are directly tied to the cessation of hostilities can advance all three of these objectives.
    Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 24 Dec. 2024
  • But Israel's military plans for a major offensive in Gaza may reshape the course of the conflict, depending on the outcome of talks and possible further hostilities.
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Only 10% of the homes have been rebuilt in the year and a half since the fire.
    Jennifer Castenson, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
  • The investigation into the Littleton Tesla charging station fires is currently ongoing.
    Jon Haworth, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Trump in the lead-up to his 2024 election win vowed to quickly end the war in Ukraine.
    Compiled byDemocrat-Gazette stafffrom wire reports, arkansasonline.com, 4 Mar. 2025
  • India Gate, New Delhi Built between 1921 and 1931, India Gate in Delhi is a war memorial designed in the European style of such commemorative landmarks.
    Shalbha Sarda, Architectural Digest, 4 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Conflagration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflagration. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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