adjective
-
erupting or tending to erupt
-
resembling or of the nature of an eruption
-
(of rocks) formed from such products as ash and lava resulting from volcanic eruptions
-
(of a disease) characterized by skin eruptions
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of eruptive
From the French word éruptif, dating back to 1640–50. See erupt, -ive
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.
Each successive powerful eruptive pulse sends another column tens of kilometers upwards, from where it spreads into a new umbrella cloud.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
The airport later confirmed on social media that the suspension had been extended a further four hours "due to increased eruptive activity".
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
And a planned field campaign this month to Waesche will explore the possibility that climate change could reawaken ice-bound volcanoes, whose hot, eruptive bursts could in turn accelerate ice loss in a new, dangerous feedback.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 2, 2024
By the early hours of January 16, all eruptive activity had ceased.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 17, 2024
Among the possibilities mentioned were jail fever, camp fever, eruptive military fever, and autumnal fever.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
![]()
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.