explosive
Americanadjective
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of, involving, or characterized by an explosion or explosions
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capable of exploding or tending to explode
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potentially violent or hazardous; dangerous
an explosive situation
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phonetics another word for plosive
noun
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a substance that decomposes rapidly under certain conditions with the production of gases, which expand by the heat of the reaction. The energy released is used in firearms, blasting, and rocket propulsion
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a plosive consonant; stop
Other Word Forms
- explosively adverb
- explosiveness noun
- nonexplosive adjective
- nonexplosively adverb
- nonexplosiveness noun
- unexplosive adjective
- unexplosively adverb
- unexplosiveness noun
Etymology
Origin of explosive
First recorded in 1660–70; explos(ion) + -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.
England boast a wealth of explosive talent at the top of the batting order, with Buttler, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett all options as openers at the tournament in India and Sri Lanka.
From Barron's
That kind of price action historically has often resolved itself with explosive upside, similar to a three-week tight pattern, particularly when a security or index is near record highs.
From Barron's
In their final report, Crandell and Mullineaux wrote that “Mount St. Helens has been more active and more explosive during the last 4,500 years than any other volcano in the conterminous United States.”
From Literature
K-Pop idol Rosé pictured on the red carpet shortly before kicking off the ceremony with an explosive performance alongside Bruno Mars.
From BBC
Manufacturers that rely on silver are stung by the metal’s explosive rally.
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.
