I. ex ‧ plo ‧ sive 1 /ɪkˈspləʊsɪv $ -ˈsploʊ-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: adjective : exploding, ↑ explosive , ↑ exploded , ↑ unexploded ; noun : ↑ explosion , ↑ explosive ; verb : ↑ explode ; adverb : ↑ explosively ]
1 . able or likely to explode:
Because the gas is highly explosive, it needs to be kept in high-pressure containers.
A small explosive device (=bomb) was set off outside the UN headquarters today.
2 . [usually before noun] relating to or like an explosion:
the explosive force of volcanoes
3 . likely to become violent or to cause feelings of violence:
He’s good at defusing potentially explosive situations.
the explosive issue of uncontrolled immigration
4 . showing sudden strong or angry emotion:
Both men suddenly spoke in the same explosive tone of voice.
5 . [usually before noun] increasing suddenly or quickly in amount or number:
the explosive growth of microcomputers
6 . an explosive sound is sudden and loud
—explosively adverb
—explosiveness noun [uncountable]
II. explosive 2 BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[ Word Family: adjective : exploding, ↑ explosive , ↑ exploded , ↑ unexploded ; noun : ↑ explosion , ↑ explosive ; verb : ↑ explode ; adverb : ↑ explosively ]
a substance that can cause an explosion
⇨ ↑ plastic explosive