ballistic

adjective

bal·​lis·​tic bə-ˈli-stik 

1

: of or relating to the science of the motion of projectiles in flight

ballistic evidence

see also ballistic missile

2

: extremely and usually suddenly excited, upset, or angry : wild

He went ballistic when he saw the dent in his car.

and the crowd goes ballistic

3

exercise : being or characterized by repeated bouncing

ballistic stretching

4

physics, of an object in motion : behaving like a projectile

But the Bell Labs switch uses such a low current that the few ballistic electrons are a distance of a micrometer or more apart …

—Robert Pool

5

of a material : capable of resisting or stopping bullets or other projectiles

ballistic glass

ballistic nylon

… engineered specifically to be worn under ballistic vests and shirts.

—K. M. Reese

ballistically

bə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of ballistic

• angry
• mad
• furious
• indignant
• enraged
• outraged
• infuriated
• angered
• infuriate

Examples of ballistic in a Sentence

she went ballistic when she discovered her brother reading her e-mail

Recent Examples on the Web

Those heavy-for-caliber projectiles penetrate well and shoot flat and do a decent job of bucking the wind thanks to their high ballistic coefficients. — John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 24 Sep. 2026

Cozzi’s blood was found in the bed of Kosowski’s pickup truck and on a ballistic vest in the trunk of Kosowski’s second car, DNA results submitted at trial confirmed. — Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2026

The attack involved ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones and decoys. — Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026

Like Michael Myers at the end of Halloween, Amisha survived her various ballistic injuries culminating in a multistory fall to the ground. — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin ballisticus "relating to the motion of projectiles in flight," from Latin ballista ballista + New Latin -icus -ic entry 1

Note: The Latin word was apparently introduced by the French priest and polymath Marin Mersenne (1588-1648) in Ballistica et acontismologia, a section (with separate title page) of his Cogitata physico-mathematica (Paris, 1644).

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ballistic

• ballistic missile
• go ballistic

Rhymes for ballistic

• artistic
• autistic
• cladistic
• heuristic
• holistic
• linguistic
• logistic
• monistic
• patristic
• sadistic
• simplistic
• sophistic

Kids Definition

ballistic

adjective

bal·​lis·​tic bə-ˈlis-tik 

: of or relating to ballistics