explosive

noun

Any explosive substance.

(linguistics, dated) A plosive.

adjective

Able to, or likely to, explode.

Having the character of an explosion.

(figurative) Shocking; startling.

(slang) Easily driven to anger, usually with reference to a person.

(figurative) Rapidly accelerating.

(cellular automata) Of a specific cellular automaton rule, tending to exhibit infinite and unpredictable growth when starting from finite random patterns.

(phonetics, archaic) Synonym of plosive.

Roots

plaudoplos- · Latin · clap, applaud

Synonyms for explosive

detonatingv dynamiten geligniten volatileadj explodableadj gunpowdern inflammableadj combustiblen corditen melinite

Synonyms & related words for explosive

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of explosive — including detonating, dynamite, gelignite, volatile, explodable, gunpowder. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to explosive

Explore words related to explosive — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include nonexplosive, tetryl, ammonal, explosiveness, explosively, fulminous, nitramine, trinitrobenzene. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for explosive

Common synonyms for explosive include detonating, dynamite, gelignite, volatile, explodable, gunpowder, inflammable, combustible — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does explosive come from?

The word explosive breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root plos-, from Latin plaudo (“clap, applaud”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.