propulsive

adjective

pro·​pul·​sive prə-ˈpəl-siv 

: tending or having power to propel

propulsive force

Examples of propulsive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Leaning against the wall nearby are several copies of a prop sword named Vigilance, a Valyrian steel blade that is the pride of Norton’s character, Ormund Hightower, who arrives to shake up the balance of power in the show’s propulsive third season. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026

SpaceX and Blue Origin use propulsive landings to return their Falcon 9 and New Glenn boosters to offshore platforms or onshore landing pads. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026

The result is an urgent, propulsive song with a raw spirit and some of Pop’s most super-charged writing with deceptively simple lyrics about love and war, dripping with desperation. — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026

And when one of them goes missing in the dead of night, they're thrust into a propulsive mystery pulled straight from the true-crime podcasts Sybil obsesses over. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin prōpulsus, past participle of prōpellere "to push or thrust forward, compel to go onward" + -ive — more at propel

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for propulsive

• compulsive
• convulsive
• expulsive
• impulsive
• repulsive
• electroconvulsive