ex·plo·sive
ik-ˈsplō-siv 
-ziv
1
a
: relating to, characterized by, or operated by explosion
an explosive hatch
b
: resulting from or as if from an explosion
explosive population growth
2
a
: tending to explode
an explosive person
b
: likely to erupt in or produce hostile reaction or violence
an explosive situation
explosively
adverb
explosiveness
noun
Examples of explosive in a Sentence
Adjective
He has an explosive temper.
there's been an explosive interest in the sport since the Olympics
Recent Examples on the Web
Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Behind palace doors, there were plenty of temper tantrums, sharp exchanges, and the occasional explosive fight.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Such tests could be used in research toward compressing a core of uranium with explosives — something that is needed for an implosion-style nuclear weapon.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explosive
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Adjective
Wei Wang, a computer architect at ByteDance, wrote in July 2025 that Jevons Paradox is playing out in real time as breakthroughs in GPU efficiency make compute cheaper and more capable, driving explosive new demand for computational resources.
—Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Behind palace doors, there were plenty of temper tantrums, sharp exchanges, and the occasional explosive fight.
—Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
The Lancet can carry two or three kilograms of explosives and reaches speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph) when attacking.
—Tim Lister, CNN Money, 1 Feb. 2026
Such tests could be used in research toward compressing a core of uranium with explosives — something that is needed for an implosion-style nuclear weapon.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explosive
Cite this Entry
“Explosive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/explosive. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
explosive
1 of 2 adjective
ex·plo·sive
ik-ˈsplō-siv
-ziv
1
: able to cause explosion
the explosive power of gunpowder
2
: likely to explode
an explosive temper
explosively
adverb
explosiveness
noun
explosive
2 of 2 noun
: an explosive substance
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