What does enflame mean?
"Enflame" is a verb meaning to set on fire or, far more commonly, to arouse and intensify powerful emotion. A speaker may enflame passions, enflame resentment, or enflame someone's imagination — always with the sense of heat being added rather than merely kindled from nothing. The word carries a vivid, dramatic connotation: it suggests emotion burning out of control, which is why it clusters with words like tensions, tempers, and controversy. It is the rarer variant of "inflame", sharing the same Latin ancestor flamma ("flame") via Old French, and most modern editors prefer the infl- spelling. Writers who choose "enflame" typically do so for archaic or poetic flavor. Though its literal fire-setting sense survives, everyday English almost always uses the word figuratively, describing rhetoric, scandal, or desire that makes feeling burn hotter.
verbTo set something on fire, or to arouse or intensify strong emotion, passion, or anger. It is a less common variant of the standard form "inflame".
- To set fire to or make burn more fiercely (literal use).
- To intensify or arouse strong feelings such as passion, anger, or enthusiasm (figurative use).
"The senator's speech served only to enflame an already volatile debate."
"The dry summer winds enflamed the wildfire overnight."
"Her memoir enflamed public curiosity about the royal family."
Both "enflame" and "inflame" trace back to the same Latin root flamma — "flame" itself is essentially the same word wearing different historical costumes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enflame
"Enflame" derives from the Latin flamma, meaning flame, through Old French enflammer, formed with the prefix en- plus flamber. English adopted both this en- form and the infl- variant "inflame" from the same French source, with "inflame" ultimately prevailing as the standard spelling. Cognates include "flammable" and "conflagration", all rooted in flamma.
How enflame is actually used
Formal to literary in register. In contemporary usage, "inflame" is strongly preferred; "enflame" appears mostly in literary writing or as a deliberate stylistic choice. The figurative sense is far more common than the literal one today.
Easily confused with enflame
"Inflame" is the standard modern spelling; "enflame" is an accepted but much rarer variant carrying the same meaning of setting alight or arousing intense emotion.