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EXPLOSIVE
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A chemical substance that undergoes a rapid chemical change (with the production of gas) on being heated or struck
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("explosive" is a kind of...):
chemical; chemical substance (material produced by or used in a reaction involving changes in atoms or molecules)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "explosive"):
burster; bursting charge; charge; explosive charge (a quantity of explosive to be set off at one time)
explosive compound (a compound that is explosive)
explosive mixture (a mixture that is explosive)
impulse explosive; propellant explosive (an explosive that is used to propel projectiles from guns or to propel rockets and missiles or to launch torpedos and depth charges)
load; payload; warhead (the front part of a guided missile or rocket or torpedo that carries the nuclear or explosive charge or the chemical or biological agents)
azoimide; HN; hydrazoic acid; hydrogen azide (a colorless explosive liquid that is volatile and poisonous and foul-smelling)
high explosive (a powerful chemical explosive that produces gas at a very high rate)
low explosive (an explosive with a low rate of combustion)
gunpowder; powder (a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a 75:15:10 ratio which is used in gunnery, time fuses, and fireworks)
Ballistite; smokeless powder (an explosive (trade name Ballistite) that burns with relatively little smoke; contains pyrocellulose and is used as a propellant)
nitramine; tetryl (a yellow crystalline explosive solid that is used in detonators)
Holonyms ("explosive" is a part of...):
explosive device (device that bursts with sudden violence from internal energy)
Derivation:
explosive (serving to explode or characterized by explosion or sudden outburst)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Serving to explode or characterized by explosion or sudden outburst
Example:
an explosive temper
Classified under:
Similar:
detonative (exploding almost instantaneously)
Antonym:
nonexplosive (not explosive)
Derivation:
explosive (a chemical substance that undergoes a rapid chemical change (with the production of gas) on being heated or struck)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Sudden and loud
Example:
an explosive laugh
Classified under:
Similar:
sudden (happening without warning or in a short space of time)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Liable to lead to sudden change or violence
Example:
a volatile situation with troops and rioters eager for a confrontation
Synonyms:
explosive; volatile
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
unstable (lacking stability or fixity or firmness)
Context examples:
His endurance was faltering, but he compelled his arms and legs to drive him deeper until his will snapped and the air drove from his lungs in a great explosive rush.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
The information tells a story of an explosive event that at its peak lasted approximately 30 minutes.
(Listen to the pulse of an erupting volcano, NSF)
This is a challenging, sometimes explosive aspect, where warrior Mars will directly confront Uranus, the planet of all things unexpected.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
E. cloacae is associated with hospital-acquired urinary and respiratory tract infections and is used in industry for explosives biodegradation.
(Enterobacter cloacae, NCI Thesaurus)
Hearing loss due to exposure to explosive loud noise or chronic exposure to sound level greater than 85 dB.
(Noise Induced Hearing Loss, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
A toxic, corrosive, colorless liquid used to make fertilizers, dyes, explosives, and other chemicals.
(Nitric acid, NCI Dictionary)
A complete device charged with explosives, propellants, pyrotechnics, initiating composition, or nuclear, biological, or chemical material for use in military operations, including demolitions.
(Munition, NCI Thesaurus)
Surtsey is an island that began forming during a similar kind of explosive, marine eruption off the coast of Iceland in 1963.
(NASA Shows New Tongan Island Made of Tuff Stuff, Likely to Persist Years, NASA)
The most accessible source is CO2 in the polar ice caps; it could be vaporized by spreading dust on it to absorb more solar radiation or by using explosives.
(Mars Terraforming Not Possible Using Present-Day Technology, NASA)
348 years after the initial event was observed, the remains of this explosive stellar merger have led to the clear and convincing signature of a radioactive version of aluminum, known as aluminium-26.
(Stellar Corpse Reveals Origin of Radioactive Molecules, ESO)
