explosive
pronunciation
How to pronounce explosive in British English:
UK [ɪkˈspləʊsɪv]
How to pronounce explosive in American English:
US [ɪkˈsploʊsɪv]
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- Noun:
- a chemical substance that undergoes a rapid chemical change (with the production of gas) on being heated or struck
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- Adjective:
- tending or serving to explode or characterized by explosion or sudden outburst
- liable to lead to sudden change or violence
- sudden and loud
Word Origin
- explosive (adj.)
- 1660s, "tending to explode," from Latin explos-, past participle stem of explodere "drive out, reject" (see explosion) + -ive. As a noun, from 1874. Related: Explosives (n.); explosively; explosiveness.
Example
- 1. The most explosive charges almost reach mr uribe himself .
- 2. The group is enjoying explosive growth .
- 3. Machines that can detect minute traces of explosive are also being tested .
- 4. For more advanced machines , detecting a new explosive can be as simple as upgrading the software .
- 5. Android has seen explosive growth , by many measures outstripping growth in iphone units .