explosive

Pronunciation: /ɛkˈsploʊsɪv/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a chemical substance that undergoes a rapid chemical change (with the production of gas) on being heated or struck
  2. adjective serving to explode or characterized by explosion or sudden outburst
  3. adjective liable to lead to sudden change or violence

Etymology

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

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
chemical
Narrower (hyponyms)
explosive mixture, gunpowder, low explosive, smokeless powder, hydrazoic acid, tetryl

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