Meaning & use
non-flammable
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Not able to catch fire or burn easily.
Grammar: Usually describes materials or products: a non-flammable liquid. It is not used with very or more.
Patterns
- a non-flammable material
- be non-flammable
The curtains are made of non-flammable fabric.
Make sure the cleaning fluid is non-flammable before using it near the stove.
The lab stores only non-flammable chemicals in this cabinet.
Common combinations
- non-flammable material
- Use a non-flammable material for the floor tiles.
- non-flammable gas
- Helium is a non-flammable gas.
- non-flammable liquid
- The label says it is a non-flammable liquid.
- non-flammable fabric
- Tents must be made of non-flammable fabric.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fireproof
- Fireproof suggests something resists fire fully and survives it, while non-flammable only says it does not easily ignite.
- flame-retardant
- Flame-retardant means treated to slow burning, so it describes something that could still burn.
- incombustible
- Incombustible is a formal, technical word for something that cannot burn at all.
Opposites
Word family
- flammable adjective
- able to catch fire easily
- flammability noun
- how easily something burns
- flame noun
- a hot burning gas
- inflammable adjective
- flammable, an older word that can confuse people
Commonly confused: non-flammable or inflammable?
non-flammable vs inflammable
Inflammable means the same as flammable, easily set on fire, even though the in- looks like a negative. Non-flammable is the one that means will not burn easily.
Practice
A sign says the spray is non-flammable. What does this mean?
Choose one answer.
Non-flammable means it will not easily catch fire. Easy to ignite describes flammable, the tempting opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “non-flammable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.