explosive
Americanadjective
adjective
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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
Derived Forms
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explosivenessnoun
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nonexplosivenessnoun
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unexplosivenessnoun
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nonexplosiveadjective
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unexplosiveadjective
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explosivelyadverb
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nonexplosivelyadverb
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unexplosivelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of explosive
First recorded in 1660–70; explos(ion) + -ive
Explanation
An explosive is a substance that can be made to explode by being hit or lit on fire. You might use an explosive to create a tunnel through a mountain — but you probably shouldn't use one to clear weeds from your yard. Explosives contain highly reactive chemicals that are full of potential energy, which can be released with a bang. You can also use the word explosive as an adjective, to describe such substances or anything else that is dramatic, abrupt, or loud. You might say that your brother has an explosive temper sometimes, or that your snow shoveling business has seen explosive growth this winter. The Latin root is explodere, "drive out."
Vocabulary lists containing explosive
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2015 National Spelling Bee Words
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-ive
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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.
See Examples For:
Chai and Wang named this explosive process "ruptosis."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
She will tear up, and moments later throw her head back with an explosive laugh that bounces off the studio walls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
South Korea's SK hynix said Wednesday second-quarter net profit soared a whopping 1,242 percent year-on-year, driven by the artificial intelligence industry's explosive demand for its advanced memory chips.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Originally priced at RMB 8.66, the stock closed at RMB 49.01, up 465%, with almost 3 billion shares worth about $2.2 billion changing hands during an explosive debut.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
It was one of the most powerful in history, more explosive even than Pelée.
From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis
Bild daily reported that the drone found on the tarmac of the eastern German airport carried explosives and a detonator -- but police did not confirm this report to AFP, saying the investigation was ongoing.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
A lawsuit filed by Lemus’ daughter last month claims that Barragan and other top commanders were warned of “training deficiencies” within the arson explosives detail before the incident.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
At some point, they claimed it was explosives, but when they opened it, it was just paper.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
The seven 8X tunnels were built to store high explosives and cordite, Clubb said.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Even with our new reinforcements, we were going to be cutting it close to find our explosives in time.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
