Meaning & use
burnable
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
able to be burned, especially as waste that is collected and burned
Grammar: Describes a noun: burnable rubbish, burnable material.
Patterns
- burnable waste
- burnable material
- burnable rubbish
Please put only burnable rubbish in this bin.
The council collects burnable waste every Tuesday.
Paper and dry leaves are burnable, but glass and metal are not.
Common combinations
- burnable waste
- Burnable waste goes in the green container.
- burnable material
- Make sure the burnable material is completely dry.
- burnable rubbish
- The sign says 'burnable rubbish only'.
- highly burnable
- This old dry wood is highly burnable.
Synonyms and how they differ
- combustible
- Combustible is more formal and technical, often used in safety rules; burnable is the everyday word for waste and materials.
- flammable
- Flammable means it catches fire easily and burns quickly, which is stronger and more dangerous than simply burnable.
- inflammable
- Inflammable is an older word with the same meaning as flammable, but it can confuse people because it looks like 'not flammable'.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: burnable or burnable?
burnable vs burnable
Do not confuse with 'burnable' and 'burnt'; burnt is the past form of burn, meaning something has already been burned.
Practice
Which bin should I use for burnable waste?
Choose one answer.
Burnable waste is waste that can be burned, such as paper and dry leaves. Glass, metal and plastic are not burnable in this context, so the green bin is the correct choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “burnable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.