explosive

[ ik-sploh-siv ]

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.

3. likely to lead to violence or hostility:

   an explosive issue.

4. Phonetics. plosive.

noun

1. an explosive agent or substance, as dynamite.
2. Phonetics. plosive.

explosive

/ ɪkˈspləʊsɪv /

adjective

1. of, involving, or characterized by an explosion or explosions
2. capable of exploding or tending to explode
3. potentially violent or hazardous; dangerous

   an explosive situation

4. See plosive
   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

• exˈplosively, adverb
• exˈplosiveness, noun

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of explosive¹

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

Example Sentences

Rage, Bob Woodward’s newest book, was already at the top of Amazon’s bestseller list days before Americans learned about its explosive contents.

From Quartz

That’s according to an explosive new whistleblower complaint released by the Democrat-led House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday afternoon.

From Vox

Netflix saw explosive subscriber growth in its first two quarters of this year, mainly attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.

From Fortune

When an idle shipment of dangerous explosives burst in Beirut, there were Carrds.

From MIT Technology Review

Still others have proposed that space became magnetized before all this, during cosmic inflation — the explosive expansion of space that purportedly jump-started the Big Bang itself.

From Quanta Magazine

Some of the most explosive opportunities could be based around things that the Western world seems reluctant to adopt.

From The Daily Beast

And it would let governors show leadership in explosive, highly-publicized cases.

From The Daily Beast

As grown-ups without turbo-charged explosive arrows, we can only change the rules through politics.

From The Daily Beast

A Shiite stronghold wrapped in a Sunni explosive belt—not exactly a picture of stability.

From The Daily Beast

That incident was due to an “equipment” problem (a steel tube ruptured)—resulting in explosive vapors being released and ignited.

From The Daily Beast

But he marred it all by a temper so ungovernable that in Paris there was current a byword, "Explosive as Garnache."

From Project Gutenberg

With an explosive hiss, gray jets of live steam erupted from pipes around the edge of the room.

From Project Gutenberg

Anything made of iron and containing high explosive and detonator will be welcome.

From Project Gutenberg

The gasoline used also gave off a gas of highly explosive character and one very likely to escape from leaky tanks or joints.

From Project Gutenberg

It is often difficult in serious situations to take these explosive monosyllables seriously.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ammunition
• bomb
• booby trap
• detonator
• dynamite
• gunpowder
• mine
• missile
• munition
• powder