# explosive

Pronunciation: say "ek-SPLOH-siv" US /ɛkˈsploʊsɪv/, UK /ɛkˈspləʊsɪv/, AUS /ekˈspləʉsɪv/

## Adjective

1. Capable of exploding, or likely to do so.
   - Simple: Able to blow up suddenly with great force.
   - _Investigators determined that the device contained an explosive compound._
   - _Fine flour dust can turn explosive when suspended in the air of a mill._
3. Shocking or startling, producing a sudden and dramatic reaction.
   - Simple: So shocking or surprising that it gets a strong reaction.
   - _The journalist published explosive allegations against the company's directors._
   - _An explosive revelation in the final chapter changed how readers saw everything._
4. Increasing or accelerating at a very rapid rate.
   - Simple: Growing or speeding up very fast.
   - _The startup experienced explosive expansion across several global markets._
   - _Social media drove explosive demand for the limited-edition product._
5. Easily provoked to anger, usually said of a person with a volatile temper. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Quick to get very angry, often without warning.
   - _Their explosive coworker could turn a small disagreement into a shouting match._
   - _He was known for an explosive personality that made colleagues wary._
6. Having the sudden, violent quality of an explosion.
   - Simple: Sudden and violent, like a blast.
   - _The sprinter's explosive start left the rest of the field behind._
   - _He gave an explosive laugh that startled everyone in the quiet library._
7. Describing a cellular automaton rule that tends toward infinite, unpredictable growth from finite random starting patterns.
   - Simple: Describing a computer pattern rule that keeps growing forever in ways no one can predict.
   - _An explosive rule will keep filling the grid without ever reaching a stable state._
   - _They classified the automaton as explosive after observing its unbounded growth._

## Noun

2. A substance capable of exploding, especially one made for blasting or demolition.
   - Simple: A material made to blow up, used in mining, building, or war.
   - _Engineers placed the explosive at the base of the bridge before the demolition._
   - _Modern explosives are far more stable than nineteenth-century dynamite._

## Adjective

8. Designating a consonant produced by fully blocking the airflow and then releasing it suddenly; equivalent to plosive. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: Describing a speech sound made by blocking air and then letting it out fast, like p or t.
   - _Early phoneticians classified p, t, and k as explosive consonants._
   - _The old grammar described the explosive release that ends each of these stops._

## Noun

9. A consonant formed by stopping the airflow completely and releasing it in a sudden burst; a plosive. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A speech sound made by stopping air and then letting it out fast, like p or t.
   - _The word begins with an explosive followed immediately by a long vowel._
   - _Phoneticians count /p/, /t/, and /k/ among the voiceless explosives._

## Origin

From explōs-, the stem of the perfect passive participle of the Latin verb explōdō, combined with the suffix -ive.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/explosive (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).