aflame

adjective or adverb

ə-ˈflām How to pronounce aflame (audio)
Synonyms of aflamenext
: afire

Synonyms of aflame

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of aflame in a Sentence

the kindling in the wood stove was aflame as soon as I held a match to it
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The rekindling of an old love affair was aflame. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 31 May 2026 Ellis saves her, knocking the creature into the fire and setting him aflame. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026 He was charged with arson, malicious destruction by means of a fire and timber set aflame. — ABC News, 25 June 2026 At a moment when the Middle East feels aflame, four people looking back at this planet from deep space didn’t see borders. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for aflame

Word History

Etymology

a- entry 1 + flame entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aflame was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing aflame

Rhymes for aflame

See All Rhymes for aflame

Browse Nearby Words

aflagellar
aflame
aflap
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Aflame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aflame. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on aflame

Nglish: Translation of aflame for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All