explosives

IPA/ɪkˈspləʊ.sɪv/
KK[ɪksplˈosɪvz]IPA/ɪkˈsploʊ.sɪv/

explosives — adjective

  • explosivespositive
  • more explosivescomparative
  • most explosivessuperlative

1. describes a substance or material that can blow up or catch fire very easily wit

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a substance or material that can blow up or catch fire very easily with a sudden release of heat and gas

Example

The miners stored the explosive material in a sealed metal container underground.

collocation: explosive material / explosive substance

Firefighters warned that the leaking gas inside the old building was highly explosive.

pattern: highly explosive (adverb + adj)

Common collocations
  • explosive material
  • explosive substance
  • explosive gas
  • explosive liquid
  • explosive chemical
  • highly explosive
  • potentially explosive
Synonyms
  • flammable

    focuses on catching fire rather than blowing up; narrower range of risk

  • volatile

    describes a substance that evaporates and ignites easily; often used for liquids

  • combustible

    formal term for something that can burn; not necessarily as sudden as explosive

Antonyms
  • non-flammable

    will not catch fire under normal conditions

  • stable

    will not react or explode under normal handling

Usage Note

Frequently used with nouns naming physical substances (material, chemical, gas, liquid, powder). This sense is the most literal and commonly tested in safety contexts.

Common Mistakes

This chemical is very explosion.
This chemical is very explosive.
'explosive' is the adjective form; 'explosion' is a noun.

2. describes a sound that is sudden, very loud, and often startling, like a bomb go

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a sound that is sudden, very loud, and often startling, like a bomb going off

Example

An explosive crack from the engine room sent everyone rushing toward the stairs.

collocation: explosive crack / explosive bang / explosive roar

Lotte covered her ears when explosive applause filled the concert hall after the final piece.

Common collocations
  • explosive roar
  • explosive crack
  • explosive bang
  • explosive applause
  • explosive sound
Synonyms
  • deafening

    emphasises that the sound is painfully loud

  • thunderous

    suggests a deep, rumbling loudness like thunder

  • ear-splitting

    informal; describes a very high-pitched, piercing loud sound

Antonyms
  • soft

    quiet and gentle in volume

  • muffled

    sounds that are quiet because something blocks them

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, this sense does not describe actual explosion risk, only the auditory quality. Typical collocates: crack, bang, roar, boom, applause, sound.

Common Mistakes

The sound was explosive loud.
The sound was explosively loud.
use the adverb form to modify an adjective.

3. describes a situation, mood, or emotion that is very tense and likely to turn vi

3.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a situation, mood, or emotion that is very tense and likely to turn violent or uncontrolled at any moment

Example

The political situation in the region remains explosive after the disputed election results.

collocation: explosive situation / explosive mood / explosive atmosphere

Iris tried to calm the explosive argument between the two drivers after the minor accident.

Common collocations
  • explosive situation
  • explosive atmosphere
  • explosive mood
  • explosive tension
  • explosive argument
Synonyms
  • volatile

    very similar, but slightly more formal; suggests the situation could change rapidly

  • tense

    describes the anxious feeling before an explosion; milder than explosive

  • fractions

    describes a group that is easily annoyed and likely to argue

Antonyms
  • peaceful

    calm and without conflict

  • stable

    steady and unlikely to change suddenly for the worse

Usage Note

Commonly used in news reports about politics, protests, or domestic conflict. Unlike sense 1, there is no physical substance that could explode — the 'explosion' refers to an outburst of anger or violence.

Common Mistakes

The situation is explosive with anger.
The situation is explosive.
'explosive' already carries the idea of strong emotion; adding 'with anger' is redundant.

4. describes a very large, fast, and sudden increase in number, amount, or size — f

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a very large, fast, and sudden increase in number, amount, or size — for example, in population, prices, or business activity

Example

The country saw an explosive growth in smartphone usage over just two years.

collocation: explosive growth / explosive increase / explosive rise

Online shopping experienced an explosive rise during the early months of the pandemic.

Common collocations
  • explosive growth
  • explosive increase
  • explosive rise
  • explosive surge
Synonyms
  • dramatic

    emphasises that the change is surprising and noticeable; broader scope

  • rapid

    focuses on speed only, not on size; milder than explosive

  • meteoric

    describes a very fast rise to success, typically for a person's career

Antonyms
  • gradual

    happening slowly over a long period

  • steady

    happening at a regular, controlled pace

Usage Note

Almost always paired with a noun denoting a positive or neutral upward trend (growth, rise, increase, surge). It is rarely used with negative trends such as 'drop' or 'decline'.

Common Mistakes

There was an explosive decrease in sales.
Sales dropped sharply.
'explosive' is not used to describe sudden decreases.

5. describes an athlete's ability to suddenly produce a great amount of speed, forc

5.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes an athlete's ability to suddenly produce a great amount of speed, force, or power during a movement — for example, jumping, sprinting, or throwing

Example

Kwame's explosive start out of the blocks helped him win the hundred-metre race.

collocation: explosive start / explosive move / explosive power

The basketball player is known for his explosive jumps when going for a rebound.

Common collocations
  • explosive power
  • explosive strength
  • explosive start
  • explosive acceleration
  • explosive speed
Synonyms
  • powerful

    general term for great strength; does not emphasise the suddenness

  • dynamic

    describes active, energetic movement; broader than explosive

  • fast-twitch

    technical term referring to muscle fibres used for short, powerful movements

Antonyms
  • slow

    lacking speed or quickness

  • endurance-based

    focused on sustained effort rather than short bursts

Usage Note

Domain-specific to sports training and fitness. Used interchangeably with 'power' or 'fast-twitch' ability. Not used outside athletic contexts.

explosives — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all four terms refer to things that cause explosions, they differ in specificity and usage. 'Dynamite' is a brand-name product made of nitroglycerin and is the most specific; it is the everyday word people use for the stick-shaped explosive used in construction and mining. 'Explosive device' is a broader, more formal term that covers any object built to explode on purpose, such as a bomb or a grenade — it is the term you see in news reports and official documents. 'Charge' is a technical word used by engineers and the military for a measured amount of explosive placed in a precise location (e.g. 'a shaped charge' for cutting steel). 'Gunpowder' is a much older type of explosive used in firearms and fireworks; it burns rather than detonates and is less powerful than modern alternatives. In everyday conversation, use 'explosives' for general reference, 'dynamite' when you mean the physical sticks, and 'explosive device' when referring to a constructed bomb or weapon.

dynamite ↗explosive devicecharge ↗gunpowder ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'explosive' comes from the Latin verb 'explodere', which originally meant 'to drive off the stage by clapping' — a combination of 'ex-' (out) and 'plaudere' (to clap). In ancient Roman theatre, a bad performance was literally 'clapped off' the stage. By the 1500s, the meaning had shifted to 'drive out with sudden force', and by the 1700s it took on the modern sense of 'bursting with violent energy'. The shift reflects how the idea of 'rejecting with a loud noise' became attached to the chemical and physical phenomenon of explosion.

First known use

1696

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Noun