INCINERATE Synonyms: 36 Similar and Opposite Words

incinerate

verb

Definition of incinerate

as in to ignite

to burn (something) completely The waste is incinerated in a large furnace.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 incinerate Another is to pay fishers to catch inedible ones like the puffer fish so they can be incinerated. — ABC News, 30 July 2026 In 2020, the wildfires that incinerated nearly half the island took the Southern Ocean Lodge, too. — Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 23 July 2026 Piled up, buried, boxed, tagged, incinerated, and, sooner or later, anonymous. — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 17 July 2026 Garbage was often incinerated rather than transported to landfills. — Rebecca Florsheim, STAT, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for incinerate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incinerate

Verb

The explosion, which involved more than a million pounds of fireworks, killed seven people and ignited a 78-acre wildfire.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
While Alaska’s smokejumpers waited for thunderheads to ignite fires, several of them worked in the loft, an airy room crammed with sewing machines and bolts of fabric on long tables.

— M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of ignite

Verb

State Assembly Member John Harabedian, who represents Altadena, where the Eaton Fire killed 19 people and burned about 9,400 homes and structures, authored one of the bills passed this week.

— Evan Bush, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
The Soviet Union was an archetypal fragile superpower, its red star burning bright before its dramatic final implosion.

— Ben Bland, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of burn

Verb

The scale of this reliance was particularly evident during the 2022 fighting in the Donbas region, when Russian forces were firing approximately 20,000 artillery rounds per day, with peak rates exceeding 32,000 rounds on some days.

— Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Iran still has enough drones and missiles to fire at vessels transiting the vital energy waterway, through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, effectively controlling much of the traffic in the strait.

— Konstantin Toropin, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of fire

Verb

In Figments of Freedom, written, directed by and starring Webber, a Marine goes AWOL, burns his life to ash, and vanishes into America’s fractured heart.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026
Sixty-four of its cities had been reduced to rubble and ash by incendiary bombs, as a submarine blockade strangled its economy, cutting off food, fuel, and raw materials.

— James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of ash

Verb

Medical examiners typically cremate remains after a certain period of time if they are not claimed, which prevents family members from making an identification at a later time, Hess said.

— Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
The village’s daily rhythms are ordered by the passing trains—until a train arrives from Pakistan loaded with the corpses of Sikh refugees, and the community is made to cremate the dead.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026

Definition of cremate

Verb

All four celebs started dipping their toes into fall fashion early this year, reaching for fisherman, funnel-neck, and crewneck sweaters while traveling, sipping coffee, and cooking with Ina Garten.

— Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Guests can also participate in a range of environmental programs including coastline cleanups, recycling efforts, and reef protection activity that includes going fishing for destructive lionfish—and then enjoying a meal cooked with it.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of cook

Browse Nearby Words

incidents

incinerate

incinerated

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Incinerate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incinerate. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of incinerate

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

recalcitrant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Games & Quizzes