explosive

American  

[ik-sploh-siv] / ɪkˈsploʊ sɪv /

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.

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noun

1. an explosive agent or substance, as dynamite.

2. Phonetics. plosive.

explosive British  

/ 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. phonetics another word for plosive

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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

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

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."

Example Sentences

As has long been predicted, the growth of AI agents, or programs that can act autonomously, has led to an explosive increase in demand for inference computing.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

“It has also been another momentum-led rebound, similar to last year’s explosive rally,” Ed Yardeni, founder of Yardeni research, said in a note shared with MarketWatch Tuesday night.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

Article II of the NPT bans the manufacture and acquisition of nuclear explosive devices, but lacks any enforcement features.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Their idea involves the explosive death of a rare type of black hole known as a "quasi-extremal primordial black hole."

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2026

At 7:12 a.m. on February 21, 1916, an explosive shell fired from a German long-barreled gun nearly twenty miles away smashed into the thousand-year-old cathedral of Verdun.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

• fiery
• frenzied
• hazardous
• meteoric
• stormy
• tense
• touchy
• ugly
• uncontrollable
• unstable
• violent