eruptive

1 of 2

adjective

erup·​tive -ptiv How to pronounce eruptive (audio)
-tēv also -təv
1
a
: erupting or tending to erupt : bursting forth : breaking out
describes a geyser as an intermittently eruptive hot spring
the eruptive imagery of the poem
: having the character of an eruption
a brawl was the first eruptive result of the rising hostility
b
: characterized by eruption
the eruptive stage of smallpox
eruptive letters full of outbursts of anger or joking
2
: producing eruption
an eruptive fever
3
: produced by eruption
usually used of intrusive rocks (such as granite, diorite, and gabbro) or extrusive rocks (such as rhyolite, andesite, and basalt)
eruptively
-tə̇vlē
-li
adverb
eruptiveness
-tivnə̇s
-tēv- also -təv-
noun
plural -es

eruptive

2 of 2

noun

"
plural -s
: an igneous rock

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

eruption + -ive

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Cite this Entry

“Eruptive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eruptive. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

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