explosive

English edit

Etymology edit

From Latin explōs-, stem of the perfect passive participle of explōdō + the suffix -ive.

Pronunciation edit

IPA^(key): /ɛkˈspləʊsɪv/, /ɪkˈspləʊsɪv/
Audio (AU) (file)

Adjective edit

explosive (comparative more explosive, superlative most explosive)

With the capability to, or likely to, explode.
an explosive device
Having the character of an explosion.
an explosive fire
1. (cellular automata) Of a specific cellular automaton rule, tending to exhibit infinite and unpredictable growth when starting from finite random patterns.
  - 1992 June 2, Dave Boll, “Variations on Conway's LIFE”, in comp.theory.cell-automata‎^[1] (Usenet):
    Notes: A rule set that (very probably) results in explosive growth; certainly in area if not population.
  - 1994 April 4, Robert Andreen, “CA rules”, in comp.theory.cell-automata‎^[2] (Usenet):
    For example, putting a 1 at (0: 1,1) will cause explosive growth in all directions, putting a 1 at (0: 0,2A) will cause pairs of diagonal cells in a 2x2 square to alternate on and off, putting a 1 at (1: 4,4) will cause all solid 1 areas to stay 1 for another cycle, etc.
  - 2003 May 12, Ilmari Karonen, “Gliders in 4-neighbor semitotalistic 2D cellular automata”, in comp.theory.cell-automata‎^[3] (Usenet):
    If the rule is further chosen so that active cells can (and must) expand on an inactive background but inactive cells can't do so on an active background (or vice versa), then non-explosive growth becomes possible.
(figurative) Shocking; startling.
an explosive accusation
(slang) Easily driven to anger, usually with reference to a person.
He has an explosive personality.
(phonetics, archaic) Synonym of plosive
the explosive consonants

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

explode

Translations edit

with the capability to, or likely to, explode

Arabic: اِنْفِجَارِيّ (infijāriyy), مُتَفَجِّر (mutafajjir)
Armenian: պայթուցիկ (hy) (paytʻucʻik)
Belarusian: выбухо́вы (vybuxóvy)
Bulgarian: избухли́в (bg) (izbuhlív), взри́вен (vzríven)
Catalan: explosiu (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 易爆 (zh) (yìbào)
Czech: výbušný, explozivní
Danish: eksplosiv, sprængfarlig (da)
Dutch: explosief (nl)
Esperanto: eksploda
Estonian: plahvatusohtlik
Finnish: räjähtävä (fi), räjähdysherkkä
French: explosif (fr)
Galician: explosivo
Georgian: ფეთქებადი (petkebadi)
German: explosiv (de)
Greek: εκρηκτικός (el) (ekriktikós)
Hindi: विस्फोटक (hi) (visphoṭak)
Hungarian: robbanó (hu), robbanékony (hu), robbanás ra hajlamos
Italian: esplosivo (it)
Latvian: eksplozīvs, sprāgstošs
Lithuanian: sprogstamasis
Macedonian: експлози́вен (eksplozíven)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: eksplosiv (no)

Nynorsk: eksplosiv
Piedmontese: esplosiv
Polish: wybuchowy (pl)
Portuguese: explosivo (pt)
Romanian: exploziv (ro)
Russian: взры́вчатый (ru) (vzrývčatyj), взрывно́й (ru) (vzryvnój)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: е̏ксплозӣван

Roman: ȅksplozīvan (sh)
Slovak: výbušný, explozívny
Slovene: eksploziven
Spanish: explosivo (es)
Swedish: explosiv (sv)
Turkish: patlayıcı (tr)
Ukrainian: вибухо́вий (vybuxóvyj)
Yiddish: אויפֿרײַסיק (oyfraysik)

having the character of an explosion

Bulgarian: взри́вен (vzríven)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 爆炸的 (zh) (bàozhà de)
Czech: výbušný
Danish: eksplosiv, eksplosionsagtig
Finnish: räjähdysmäinen (fi)
Galician: explosivo
Greek: εκρηκτικός (el) (ekriktikós)
Portuguese: explosivo (pt)
Russian: взрывно́й (ru) (vzryvnój)
Spanish: explosivo (es)
Swedish: explosiv (sv), explosionsartad (sv)
Turkish: patlayıcı (tr)

shocking — see shocking

easily driven to anger

Bulgarian: избухли́в (bg) (izbuhlív)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 暴躁 (zh) (bàozào)
Czech: výbušný
Danish: heftig, opfarende
Finnish: räjähtävä (fi), äkkipikainen (fi)
German: aufbrausend (de), explosiv (de)
Hungarian: robbanékony (hu)
Italian: irascibile (it), collerico (it), iracondo (it)
Polish: wybuchowy (pl)
Portuguese: explosivo (pt)
Russian: вспы́льчивый (ru) (vspýlʹčivyj)
Turkish: fevri (tr)

Noun edit

explosive (plural explosives)

Any explosive substance.
(linguistics, dated) A plosive.
- 1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Grove Press, published 1959, →OCLC:
  The words of these songs were either without meaning, or derived from an idiom with which Watt, a very fair linguist, had no acquaintance. The open a sound was predominant, and the explosives k and g.