1
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
there's been an explosive interest in the sport since the Olympics
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
one of the most explosive storms to hit that area of the coast in some time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of explosive
Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
And with the issue being so politically explosive, the two parties haven’t been able to agree since 1990 on how to manage the situation.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Emerson Clarridge
updated March 13, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2026
No details about the nature of the explosive was given.
—Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explosive
Adjective
Most of the season’s snow came during three explosive storms in late December, early January and mid-February, which punctuated prolonged dry spells.
—Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026
And with the issue being so politically explosive, the two parties haven’t been able to agree since 1990 on how to manage the situation.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Noun
Jurors found Song, Morris, the Sotos, Hill, Batten, Rueda and Evetts guilty of rioting, providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use and carry an explosive, and using and carrying explosives during a riot.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated March 13, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2026
No details about the nature of the explosive was given.
—Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for explosive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explosive
Adjective
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For the seventh year in a row, Walmart captured more money from Charlotte-area shoppers than any other grocery store, despite intense competition from local grocers like Harris Teeter and Food Lion.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
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Graves’ exit has sparked intense speculation about his potential successor to represent Missouri’s 6th Congressional District, which stretches across northern Missouri and touches Kansas City’s Northland.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Jessica Gorman delivered emotional remarks Saturday at a vigil in Yorktown Heights, New York, honoring her daughter — a Loyola University Chicago freshman whose life was cut short in what authorities describe as a sudden, violent attack.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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That’s a reference to what Duncan always intended, and rightly so, as a holistic approach to the problem of violent crime, involving not just violence interrupting by former gang members turned peacekeepers but better education and job opportunities for the young people most at risk.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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It was later identified, by an unnamed official to thel, as showing a bunker buster bomb attack on an ammunition depot in the city.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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The attack, which reportedly used 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs, marks a major escalation as the conflict in the region entered its second month.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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These are the military's most elite forces, who have undergone intensive physical and technical training for this type of mission.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Radar works in these conditions but is power-intensive for small drones.—
Nitin Sanket,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Italy happens to be in similarly ferocious form, however, and has won seven of its last eight, albeit losing twice in as many encounters with qualifying group winner Norway last year.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Despite Iran’s remarkably ferocious response across the region – attacking neighbors like Oman who days earlier mediated between Tehran and Washington - weeks of intense airstrikes against its cities and military has not magically left it a hundred feet tall.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The author of Project Hail Mary is firing a photon torpedo at Paramount+’s Star Trek efforts.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Mar. 2026
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Sediment samples near the torpedo compartment showed no evidence of plutonium leakage from the nuclear warheads, indicating titanium patches applied by Soviet and Russian expeditions in 1994 remain effective.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Nothing except getting into fierce arguments with fellow-Jews, some would say, which Olitzky—who has a round, boyish face and a conciliatory manner—portrayed as a privilege rather than a burden.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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With one-of-a-kind offerings from the likes of Inglenook, Crocker & Starr, Amici Cellars, Peju, Long Meadow Ranch, and a collaboration between Dakota Shy and Detert Family Vineyards, bidding was fierce on Cabernet Franc.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Britain and France were furious—the canal carried oil and other goods that were vital to European economies—and determined to take back control.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Conservative hardliners in the House woke up furious that their Senate counterparts had passed a deal without ICE and Border Patrol funding in the dead of night.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Explosive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explosive. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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