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explosive - 5 dictionary results

ex⋅plo⋅sive

  [ik-sploh-siv]
Use explosive in a Sentence
–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.
–noun
5. an explosive agent or substance, as dynamite.
6. Phonetics. plosive.
Origin:
1660–70; explos(ion) + -ive

Related forms:
ex⋅plo⋅sive⋅ly, adverb
ex⋅plo⋅sive⋅ness, noun

plo⋅sive

  [ploh-siv] Phonetics
–adjective
1. (of a stop consonant or occlusive) characterized by release in a plosion; explosive.
–noun
2. Also called explosive. a plosive speech sound.
Origin:
1895–1900; shortened form of explosive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To explosive
ex·plo·sive   (ĭk-splō'sĭv)   
adj.  
  1. Relating to or having the nature of an explosion.
  2. Tending to explode.
n.  
  1. A substance, especially a prepared chemical, that explodes or causes explosion.
  2. Linguistics A plosive.
ex·plo'sive·ly adv., ex·plo'sive·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Explosive

Ex*plo"sive\, a. [Cf. F. explosif.] Driving or bursting out with violence and noise; causing explosion; as, the explosive force of gunpowder.

Explosive

Ex*plo"sive\, n. 1. An explosive agent; a compound or mixture susceptible of a rapid chemical reaction, as gunpowder, or nitro-glycerine.

2. A sound produced by an explosive impulse of the breath; (Phonetics) one of consonants p, b, t, d, k, g, which are sounded with a sort of explosive power of voice.

Note: [See Guide to Pronunciation, [root] 155-7, 184.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : explosive
Spanish: explosivo,
German: explosiv,
Japanese: 爆発性の
More Translations »
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