ballistic

adjective

bal·​lis·​tic bə-ˈli-stik How to pronounce ballistic (audio)
1
: extremely and usually suddenly excited, upset, or angry : wild
He went ballistic when he saw the dent in his car.
and the crowd goes ballistic
2
: of or relating to the science of the motion of projectiles in flight
3
exercise : being or characterized by repeated bouncing
ballistic stretching
4
physics, of an object in motion : behaving like a projectile
But the Bell Labs switch uses such a low current that the few ballistic electrons are a distance of a micrometer or more apart …Robert Pool
5
of a material : capable of resisting or stopping bullets or other projectiles
ballistic glass
ballistic nylon
… engineered specifically to be worn under ballistic vests and shirts.K. M. Reese
ballistically adverb

Examples of ballistic in a Sentence

she went ballistic when she discovered her brother reading her e-mail
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Officers reviewed ballistic evidence and security camera footage and broadcast a description of two suspects fleeing in a motor vehicle. Isabelle Friedman, Boston Herald, 9 Mar. 2025 In total, the Russians used nearly 70 missiles, both cruise and ballistic, as well as almost 200 attack drones. William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025 Inspired by the 1975 political thriller Three Days of the Condor, Brave New World pushes genre conventions within the MCU by incorporating plot points such as a governmental-brainwashing scheme, black-site prisons, shadow mercenaries, and a ballistic showdown between sovereign nations. Chris Lee, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025 This one, made from ballistic nylon, has a zippered entry to a padded laptop compartment, a padded mesh back panel, a key leash, plus pen holders and tons of other organizational features. Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ballistic

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin ballisticus "relating to the motion of projectiles in flight," from Latin ballista ballista + New Latin -icus -ic entry 1

Note: The Latin word was apparently introduced by the French priest and polymath Marin Mersenne (1588-1648) in Ballistica et acontismologia, a section (with separate title page) of his Cogitata physico-mathematica (Paris, 1644).

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballistic was in 1764

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Cite this Entry

“Ballistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballistic. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

ballistic

adjective
bal·​lis·​tic bə-ˈlis-tik How to pronounce ballistic (audio)
: of or relating to ballistics

More from Merriam-Webster on ballistic

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