Blasting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of causing an explosion or detonation ; breaking apart or shattering something using intense air pressure or sound ; delivering harsh or strong verbal criticism
2. Producing a sudden release of explosive energy ; using a forceful stream of air, water, or sound to dismantle or clean ; expressing sharp disapproval or censure
3. Creating a violent bursting effect by explosion ; demolishing or cleaning objects with a concentrated powerful flow ; condemning or reprimanding someone forcefully in speech

Etymology: "Blasting" is the present participle of "blast," so its history is really the history of the verb it comes from. "Blast" was already in Middle English, where it meant a gust of wind or a blowing of a horn, and the verb carried that sense of forceful breath or wind. The "-ing" ending was attached to form the participle, which in Middle English appeared as "blastynge" and "blastyng," with the same ending doing double duty as a gerund-like form. The sense of setting off explosives is much later and comes from the verb's older meaning of a powerful blow or burst. Once people used "blast" for a violent outrush of air or force, it was a short step to applying it to the sudden force of an explosion, and "blasting" came to name the work of breaking rock or other solid material with charges.

Synonyms: exploding, detonating, shouting, yelling, screaming

Antonyms: whispering, silencing, calming, quieting, soothing