explosive

adj, noun — 9 senses

explosive

adj

UK /ɛkˈspləʊsɪv/ · CA, US /ɛkˈsploʊsɪv/

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

7 senses
  1. 1Able to, or likely to, explode.
  2. 2Having the character of an explosion.
  3. 3Of a specific cellular automaton rule, tending to…
  4. 4Rapidly accelerating.
  5. 5Shocking; startling.
  6. 6Easily driven to anger, usually with reference to a person.
  7. 7Synonym of plosive.
1

Able to, or likely to, explode.

  • an explosive device
2

Having the character of an explosion.

  • an explosive fire
3

Cellular automata, Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences Of a specific cellular automaton rule, tending to exhibit infinite and unpredictable growth when starting from finite random patterns.

  • Notes: A rule set that (very probably) results in explosive growth; certainly in area if not population.1992 June 2, Dave Boll, “Variations on Conway's LIFE”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (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.1994 April 4, Robert Andreen, “CA rules”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet):
1 more example
  • 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.2003 May 12, Ilmari Karonen, “Gliders in 4-neighbor semitotalistic 2D cellular automata”, in comp.theory.cell-automata (Usenet):
4

Figuratively Rapidly accelerating.

  • Near-synonym: plyometric
  • explosive movements
5

Figuratively Shocking; startling.

  • an explosive accusation
6

Slang Easily driven to anger, usually with reference to a person.

  • He has an explosive personality.
7

Human sciences, Linguistics, Phonetics, Phonology, Sciences Archaic Synonym of plosive.

  • the explosive consonants
Derived terms
autoexplosive, contact explosive, cryptoexplosive, electroexplosive, explosive belt, explosive bolt, explosive cyclogenesis, explosive decompression, explosive gelatin, explosive lens, explosively, explosiveness, explosive sadism, improvised explosive device, inexplosive, intermittent explosive disorder, microexplosive, nonexplosive, superexplosive, superexplosively, unexplosive
Related terms
explode

explosive

noun

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

1

Any explosive substance.

2

Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences Dated A plosive.

  • 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.1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC:
Derived terms
contact explosive, Favier explosive, high explosive, low explosive, plastic explosive, primary explosive, secondary explosive, sila-explosive, Sprengel explosive, tertiary explosive

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.