unexploded
Not yet detonated
Unexploded describes a bomb, shell, or other explosive device that was deployed but failed to detonate: unexploded ordnance from World War II.
The term appears in military and demolition contexts, where such devices pose ongoing danger.
Figuratively, something unexploded remains a latent threat: an unexploded scandal waiting to surface.
Explosive device or disaster
- shellHard outer covering
- munitionMilitary weapon or projectile
- landmineBuried pressure-activated explosive
- IEDMakeshift explosive weapon
grenade · mortar · missile · torpedo · mine · artillery · warhead · projectile
Apt to cause harm
- lethalCausing or capable of death
- deadlyAble to cause expiration
- volatileLiable to sudden change
- perilousFraught with danger
booby-trap · minefield · trigger · fuse · detonation · shrapnel · blast · demining
Present but inactive
- inactiveNot currently functioning
- inertInactive, physically or chemically
- untriggeredNot yet set off
- unreleasedNot yet distributed
potential · quiescent · undischarged · unexpressed · undetonated · suppressed · contained · pent-up
Period of armed conflict
- WWII1939-45 global conflict
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- historicalOf documented times
- remnantWhat stays after most goes
vestige · legacy · archaeology · excavation · battlefield · recovered · unearthed · discovered
bomb
Explosive device or disaster
- shellHard outer covering
- munitionMilitary weapon or projectile
- landmineBuried pressure-activated explosive
IED · grenade · mortar · missile · torpedo · mine · artillery · warhead · projectile · rocket
dangerous
Apt to cause harm
perilous · booby-trap · minefield · trigger · fuse · detonation · shrapnel · blast · demining · EOD
latent
Present but inactive
- inactiveNot currently functioning
- inertInactive, physically or chemically
- untriggeredNot yet set off
unreleased · potential · quiescent · undischarged · unexpressed · undetonated · suppressed · contained · pent-up · waiting
wartime
Period of armed conflict
- WWII1939-45 global conflict
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- historicalOf documented times
remnant · vestige · legacy · archaeology · excavation · battlefield · recovered · unearthed · discovered · preserved
unexplodeddefused
Made harmless
deactivated · disarmed · neutralized · inert · spent
- unexploded bomb
- unexploded ordnanceMilitary ammunition that failed to detonate
explode, explosion, explosive, exploded, explodes, implosion, explosively, explosiveness, nonexplosive