inflammatory
This word has two very different meanings depending on the context. When used in politics or social situations, it refers to emotions (anger). When used in medicine, it refers to the physical body. In a social context, 'inflammatory' is almost always negative. It describes speech or writing that is designed to make people fight or become upset. In a medical context, it is a neutral descriptive term. You will frequently see it paired with the prefix 'anti-' (as in 'anti-inflammatory') to describe medicines that stop swelling.
💬Casual Conversation
🎬Tuesday afternoon, Victoria is in a boardroom meeting while David is at his desk.
Victoria
Cut the inflammatory language from that email before you hit send.
David Smith
My bad. I'll tone it down so it doesn't ruffle any feathers.
💡
Victoria is correcting David's unprofessional tone. David uses the idiom 'ruffle any feathers,' meaning to annoy or upset people, reflecting his attempt to sound socially aware while being reprimanded by his boss.