explosive

[ ik-sploh-siv ]
See synonyms for: explosiveexplosivesexplosiveness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. tending or serving to explode: an explosive temper; Nitroglycerin is an explosive substance.

  2. pertaining to or of the nature of an explosion: explosive violence.

  1. likely to lead to violence or hostility: an explosive issue.

  2. Phonetics. plosive.

noun
  1. an explosive agent or substance, as dynamite.

  2. Phonetics. plosive.

Origin of explosive

1
First recorded in 1660–70; explos(ion) + -ive

Other words from explosive

  • ex·plo·sive·ly, adverb
  • ex·plo·sive·ness, noun
  • non·ex·plo·sive, adjective, noun
  • non·ex·plo·sive·ly, adverb
  • non·ex·plo·sive·ness, noun
  • un·ex·plo·sive, adjective
  • un·ex·plo·sive·ly, adverb
  • un·ex·plo·sive·ness, noun

Words Nearby explosive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use explosive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for explosive

explosive

/ (ɪkˈspləʊsɪv) /


adjective
  1. of, involving, or characterized by an explosion or explosions

  2. capable of exploding or tending to explode

  1. potentially violent or hazardous; dangerous: an explosive situation

  2. phonetics another word for plosive

noun
  1. 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

  2. a plosive consonant; stop

Derived forms of explosive

  • explosively, adverb
  • explosiveness, noun

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