ballistic

American  

[buh-lis-tik] / bəˈlɪs tɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to ballistics.

2. having its motion determined or describable by the laws of exterior ballistics.

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idioms

1. go ballistic, to become overwrought or irrational.

   went ballistic over the idea of a tax hike.

ballistic British  

/ bəˈlɪstɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to ballistics

2. denoting or relating to the flight of projectiles after power has been cut off, moving under their own momentum and the external forces of gravity and air resistance

3. (of a measurement or measuring instrument) depending on a brief impulse or current that causes a movement related to the quantity to be measured

   a ballistic pendulum

4. informal to become enraged or frenziedly violent

5. (of materials) strong enough to resist damage by projectile weapons

   ballistic nylon

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ballistic More Idioms  

1. see go ballistic.

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Other Word Forms

• ballistically adverb

Etymology

Origin of ballistic

First recorded in 1765–75; ballist(a) + -ic

Explanation

The adjective ballistic describes the flight of an object through space. It usually applies to projectiles like bullets or rockets that are fired from weapons. If you’re in the path of a ballistic missile, get out of the way! A ballistic missile is guided only when it’s first launched. After that its flight is subject to the law of gravity. The word comes from a Roman weapon called a ballista, which chucked rocks into the air, whose name comes from the Greek for "throw." If someone has “gone ballistic,” they're crazy with anger. When you go ballistic, you’re just like an unmanned missile: you fly into a fit of rage and lose control over your feelings or actions.

Example Sentences

The North said this week it fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles that tested the power of its cluster munitions, the latest in a flurry of launches by the diplomatically isolated state.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, accompanied by a DHS video team, was on site that day wearing a baseball cap and a black ballistic vest.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

Somehow, he slipped up and told her how much money he gives his own children — and she went ballistic.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026

Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday that Iran’s ability to build ballistic missiles and long-range drones had been set back by years, its naval mines mostly destroyed and its air forces “operationally irrelevant.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

If the new "space race" made Americans fear that they were falling behind the Soviets, a new arms race—involving intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs—added a terrifying new dimension to the Cold War.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau