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 With a wide-ranging mandate, CSA aims to explore and implement bold new ideas in housing by matching leading architects with clients looking to rebuild in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, the two communities hardest hit by the conflagration. Mayer Rus, Architectural Digest, 27 Mar. 2025 Newsom’s predecessor, Jerry Brown, tried to double the annual acres (from 250,000 acres to 500,000) in California that are thinned of the buildup of brush and small trees that can turn a modest fire into a historic conflagration. Tom Philp, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2025 Meanwhile, many residents in Altadena — which would end up seeing the worst damage from the conflagration — felt left in the dark, seemingly lost in the chaos. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2025 In the Cold War, Washington—twice burned by Eurasian conflagrations—opted to keep the supercontinent from combusting again. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conflagration
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conflagration
Noun
  • Can Verdugo, known for intensity — if not a full-on internal inferno like Donaldson, at least a flame — have any semblance of such impact on this team?
    David O'Brien, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Courtesy Andrea-Marie Stark Stark’s house is one of several that survived the inferno on her block, but its proximity to the flames meant everything inside was coated with a thick layer of soot.
    Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • These meetings initially took place virtually and then in person across different capitals, seeking a cessation of hostilities and the establishment of humanitarian corridors.
    Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Apr. 2025
  • But Putin had other ideas, tying a halt in hostilities to the West readmitting certain Russian banks into the West’s financial network.
    Daniel DePetris, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Currently, there is no information on the containment of the fire and the cause of it is still undetermined.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2025
  • The team carried a smoldering fire in the core from that game into the offseason, and galvanized during a trip overseas that summer.
    Jim Calhoun with Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2025
Noun
  • The intention isn’t to incite a turf war with your daughter-in-law’s parents.
    R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025
  • Fighting for working people also means standing up to Donald Trump and his war on the fundamental values of our city.
    Zohran Mamdani, New York Daily News, 8 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Conflagration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conflagration. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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