explosive

(ek splōsiv, ik-)

adjective

  1. of, causing, or having the nature of, an explosion
  2. tending to explode; esp., tending to burst forth noisily
  3. likely to explode, as in violence: an explosive situation
  4. Phonet. plosive

noun

  1. a substance that can explode, as gunpowder
  2. Phonet. plosive

Related Forms:

See explosive in American Heritage Dictionary 4

adjective
  1. Relating to or having the nature of an explosion.
  2. Tending to explode.
noun
  1. A substance, especially a prepared chemical, that explodes or causes explosion.
  2. Linguistics A plosive.

Related Forms:

  • ex·ploˈsive·ly adverb
  • ex·ploˈsive·ness noun

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