EXPLOSIVE Synonyms: 124 Similar and Opposite Words

explosive 1 of 2

adjective

ik-ˈsplō-siv

Definition of explosive

as in intense

extreme in degree, power, or effect there's been an explosive interest in the sport since the Olympics

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in violent

marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity one of the most explosive storms to hit that area of the coast in some time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

explosive

2 of 2

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 explosive

Adjective

Jets of dust were expelled from the nucleus with explosive intensity. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Traoré’s explosive first step gives defenders a reason to back off. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 13 Oct. 2026

Noun

Officials said the explosive failed to detonate because of a faulty detonator. — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 As bomb technicians struggled to disarm the explosive, the FBI raced against the clock to deliver the ransom while simultaneously hunting the extortionists. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for explosive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for explosive

Adjective

Pike committed the crime over an intense romantic jealousy of Slemmer, who allegedly attempted to steal her boyfriend’s attention.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Carnegie Hall seats well over 3,000 people, but this intense, no-frills performance film gives life to the old saying about feeling alone in a crowd.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of intense

Adjective

That, in turn, reveals a family history of violent gravitational instability caused by events like giant collisions and planetary ejections.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026
The show, which can certainly be tense, spends more time on being funny than violent.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of violent

Noun

The war continues Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russia has launched more than 4,000 strike drones, bombs and missiles against his country over the past week.

— Kristin Wright, NPR, 18 Oct. 2026
Fifty years after the last Weather Underground bomb exploded, former members and their children reassess the costs of the group’s violent struggle.

— Adam Hochschild, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of bomb

Adjective

Atrium is also offering day hospital programs in which patients receive intensive treatment and return home at night.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026
Because schools would otherwise use that money to buy equipment, the proposal would most affect two-year technical schools with equipment-intensive programs like welding or automotive programs.

— CBS News, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of intensive

Adjective

After the initial blast, which spews out gamma rays, a storm of radiation pours into the surrounding galaxy, creating a ferocious afterglow that burns in every part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

— Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The characters thrust and parry with ferocious wit in an upscale California desert setting that scenic designer Scott Pask generically satirizes as a category of social living.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of ferocious

Adjective

His successor, Bennett, had been among its fiercest critics, raising the prospect that the arrangement might finally end.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
The deadly fire erupted Saturday at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, where fierce winds fueled flames that spread beyond the installation and into surrounding rural areas.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of fierce

Adjective

Before long there were three squad cars with lights flashing parked in the drive, with a furious Grandpa Joe trying to sort out the trouble.

— Kerry Kennedy, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026
The conflicts are raw and unresolved, and Churchill forces theatergoers to make up their own minds about the characters’ furious dialect.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of furious

Browse Nearby Words

explosions

explosive

explosively

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Style

“Explosive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explosive. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of explosive

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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