explosive

adjective

1. 1

   Able to, or likely to, explode.

   an explosive device

2. 2

   Having the character of an explosion.

   an explosive fire

3. 3

   Having the character of an explosion. Of a specific cellular automaton rule, tending to exhibit infinite and unpredictable growth when starting from finite random patterns.

   Notes: A rule set that (very probably) results in explosive growth; certainly in area if not population.

   For example, putting a 1 at (0: 1,1) will cause explosive growth in all directions, putting a 1 at (0: 0,2A) will cause pairs of diagonal cells in a 2x2 square to alternate on and off, putting a 1 at (1: 4,4) will cause all solid 1 areas to stay 1 for another cycle, etc.

   If the rule is further chosen so that active cells can (and must) expand on an inactive background but inactive cells can't do so on an active background (or vice versa), then non-explosive growth becomes possible.

4. 4

   figurativeRapidly accelerating.

   Near-synonym: plyometric

   explosive movements

5. 5

   figurativeShocking; startling.

   an explosive accusation

6. 6

   slangEasily driven to anger, usually with reference to a person.

   He has an explosive personality.

7. 7

   archaicSynonym of plosive.

   the explosive consonants

noun

1. 1

   Any explosive substance.

2. 2

   datedA plosive.

   The words of these songs were either without meaning, or derived from an idiom with which Watt, a very fair linguist, had no acquaintance. The open a sound was predominant, and the explosives k and g.

Forms

plural

explosives

comparative

more explosive

superlative

most explosive