Ablaze means on fire or burning brightly. When a building is ablaze, flames are consuming it. A campfire blazes up when you add dry wood, and soon the whole pile is ablaze with dancing flames.

The word suggests intense, visible fire with large flames. A single candle isn't ablaze, but a bonfire roaring ten feet high certainly is. When firefighters arrive at a warehouse ablaze, they see flames shooting through the roof and windows glowing orange.

The word also describes things that seem to glow or shine intensely, as if they were actually on fire. A forest in autumn might be ablaze with red and gold leaves. A night sky can be ablaze with stars. Someone's eyes might be ablaze with excitement or anger, shining so intensely you can practically see the emotion radiating from them.

Ablaze carries a sense of something powerful and hard to ignore. It's not a gentle glow, it's dramatic and unmistakable. When something is ablaze, whether with actual flames or brilliant color, everyone notices.