ballistic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to ballistics.
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having its motion determined or describable by the laws of exterior ballistics.
idioms
adjective
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of or relating to ballistics
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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
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(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
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informal to become enraged or frenziedly violent
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(of materials) strong enough to resist damage by projectile weapons
ballistic nylon
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing ballistic
John F. Kennedy's Address to the American People on the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
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The Launch of Sputnik 1
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Vocabulary: A Rapper's Delight!
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The decision comes after North Korea this month conducted ballistic missile tests that are banned by the United Nations.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Japan's defence ministry also described the object as a suspected ballistic missile, adding that it was thought to have "already fallen", without providing further details.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
After World War II, the French state built on that legacy, turning the area into a key hub for its ballistic missile, nuclear weapon and space programs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Of more than 120 ballistic missiles fired by Russia this month, Ukraine has downed less than a third of them, according to data from Kyiv's air force.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
