DETONATED Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

detonated 1 of 2

adjective

as in exploded

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detonated

2 of 2

verb

past tense of detonate

as in popped

to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure the bomb detonated with a thunder that could be heard for blocks in all directions

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of detonated

Verb

The bomb detonated close to Reggane was four times more powerful than that used on Hiroshima. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026 An operation in Kenscoff In the mists of the steep hills that ring southern Port-au-Prince, CNN saw one Task Force operation where helicopters manned by foreign contractors assaulted gang positions, and drones detonated amid the clatter of gunfire. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 The police response has drawn criticism following an incident last week in which a 15-year-old boy lost his hand and part of his lower arm after picking up a police dispersal grenade that detonated during a demonstration in Lens. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 An unexploded munition detonated during a school trip along Israel's northern border with Lebanon on Monday, killing a teenage boy and injuring 24 others, Israeli authorities and rescue workers said. — Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2026 Multiple explosions detonated close to a tanker south of Al-Mukha, Yemen, in the Bab el-Mandeb, the monitor said, adding that the crew were reported safe. — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026 She is widely remembered as the first Palestinian woman to carry out a suicide bombing, although accounts indicate that the device may have detonated unexpectedly. — Sara Harmouch, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026 In December 2023, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the main gate of a police station in Dera Ismail Khan, killing at least 23 security personnel in one of the area’s deadliest attacks. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026 In July, the Wall Street Journal published an interview with Eui Seok Kang, who was severely disfigured when the airbag of his Chevrolet Malibu detonated after a crash. — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for detonated

Adjective

Surgical repair entails opening the scrotum to expose the exploded testicle, stopping any bleeding, removing any dead tissue, tucking the testicle back into the scrotum and sewing the tunica albuginea back together.

— Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
An exploded sunfish spread out in the water in thousands of pieces is certainly easier to share, offering another possible explanation for this practice.

— Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 July 2026

Definition of exploded

Adjective

The symbol of an institution that for decades has prepared many of Ukraine’s top public finance officials and ministers sat bomb-blasted and unusable.

— Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2026
With more than a dozen varieties grown in and around SoCal, in 2026 alone, heads (of cabbage) will roll if Angelenos can’t get their fix of this vitamin-rich, potassium-laden, calcium-blasted antioxidant VIP in 2026.

— Rebecca Leib, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026

Definition of blasted

Verb

Then, however, the whistle blew and officials said that the previous incomplete pass intended for Tremble was under review.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 9 Nov. 2026
The long school holiday was coming to an end, and though the sunlight still offered the brightness of summer, the breeze that blew suggested the sombre quality of autumn.

— Yasushi Inoue, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of blew

Adjective

Park district crews will till the smashed pumpkins into the garden plots to enrich the soil.

— Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026
The next morning, Karen went missing, but her car was found abandoned by two hunters on a rural roadside, as well as two smashed cell phones near a neighbor’s house, ABC News reported.

— Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of smashed

Adjective

But as the day wore on, bodies wrapped in white plastic sheets were carried from the ruins and laid in rows as smoke drifted across the shattered landscape.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026
As the day wore on, bodies wrapped in white plastic sheets were carried from the ruins and laid in rows as smoke drifted across the shattered landscape.

— Susie Blann, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of shattered

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“Detonated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/detonated. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of detonated

adjective

verb

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