Make Your Point > Archived Issues > COMBUSTIBLE

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pronounce COMBUSTIBLE: Say it "come BUS tih bull." To hear it, click here. connect this word to others: Yup: the word combustible is cousins with the word bust. Both probably trace back to the Latin urere, "to burn." While we're checking out combustible today, see if you can recall a few other fiery, explosive terms: 1.  A tin_____x is a dangerous situation that could become violent, one that reminds you of a little container full of bits of material for starting a fire. 2. A fl______nt is a place or time when something becomes extremely violent or extremely emotional, as if reaching the specific temperature that causes a vapor to catch on fire. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: Combustion is the process of burning up. Literally speaking, something combustible is able to burn up, or likely to burn up. Figuratively speaking, something combustible is likely to "burn up" because it's very full of anger, passion, or violence. These words come from a Latin verb meaning "to burn up completely." grammatical bits: Part of speech: Adjective: "It's a combustible situation;" "That mixture is combustible." Other common forms:  There's "combustion," "combustibly," and "combustibility." If you refer to items as "combustibles," you mean they're things that burn up. Finally, yes, you can use "combust" as a verb, both literally and figuratively: "Fossil fuels combust;" "The relationship combusted." Some dictionaries label the verb "combust" as "jocular or affected," meaning we often say it in a joking way. how to use it: It's so fun and appropriate how the second syllable explodes. ComBUSTible! It's a common, semi-formal, and highly dramatic word. We should pick it when we need to describe people, personalities, places, situations, combinations, and relationships that seem likely to go up in flames. And, of course, we can pick it when we're talking literally: "combustible gas," "unsafe combustible cladding on buildings" (BBC), "an energized 300-watt bulb... placed too close to combustible materials" (Washington Times). examples: "The president created a combustible environment of misinformation, disenfranchisement and division."    — John Katko, as quoted in the Seattle Times, 13 January 2021 "Trust makes the world go around. Protests break out when our faith in people or institutions is violated... Now, throw a silent, hidden killer into this combustible mix of mistrust, anger, and dismay. It's enough to tear a country apart..."    — John Feffer, Salon, 2 August 2020 has this page helped you understand "combustible"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "combustible" without saying "volatile" or "explosive." try it out: Maybe you've heard the song "Pardon Me" by Incubus, which starts out like this:    A decade ago,    I never thought I would be,    At twenty-three, on the verge of    Spontaneous combustion. Woe is me... The chorus shouts:    So pardon me while I burst into flames.    I've had enough of the world    And its people's mindless games. I think we can all relate to that. Talk about a situation from your childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood that seemed absolutely combustible to you: a situation that made you feel as though you might burst into flames. If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. Our new game for February is "Piece It Together." Use your knowledge of the given terms to define a related, ultra-rare term. For example, you could use your knowledge of CELLULAR and MULTUM IN PARVO ("a lot in a little") to define the ultra-rare PARVOCELLULAR as "small-celled." To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Enjoy! Try this one today: Use MISE EN PLACE and ABYSMAL to define MISE EN ABYME.  review this word: 1. A near opposite of COMBUSTIBLE is A. HALCYON (calm and peaceful). B. FRANGIBLE (readily breakable). C. HUBRISTIC (way too proud, or way too confident). 2. A 2020 article in the New York Times about "a combustible Europe" focused on _____. A. sports B. language C. terrorism Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. C Answer to the game question: MISE EN ABYME, French for "a placing into a bottomless pit," more or less, is a story within a story within a story, etc. Or an image within an image within an image, etc. a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.