hydrogen bomb
hydrogen bomb
Pronunciation
hydrogen bomb
/ˈhaɪdrədʒən bɒm/
hy- /haɪ/
dro- /drə/
gen /dʒən/
bomb /bɒm/
Word Form Variations
Singular: hydrogen bomb
Plural: hydrogen bombs
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A weapon of mass destruction that derives its explosive energy from nuclear fusion, specifically from the fusion of isotopes of hydrogen. It is vastly more powerful than an atomic bomb.
Synonyms: thermonuclear weapon, H-bomb
Antonyms: conventional weapon (though not a direct antonym, it represents the opposite category of weaponry)
Definition 2: (Figurative) An extremely powerful or impactful event, situation, or entity that has the potential for widespread and devastating consequences.
Synonyms: bombshell, game-changer (if the impact is transformative), catastrophe (if the consequence is negative)
Antonyms: minor event, triviality, non-event
Examples of Use
Newspaper: "Experts debate the immediate and long-term consequences of a nation acquiring a working hydrogen bomb." (The New York Times, October 2023)
Online Publication: "Declassified documents reveal the intense scientific race to develop the hydrogen bomb during the Cold War era." (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 2024)
Book: "In The Making of the Atomic Bomb, Richard Rhodes meticulously chronicles the scientific and political journey that led to both the atomic and hydrogen bomb." (Richard Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb)
Film/Documentary: A narrator in a historical documentary stated, "The testing of the first hydrogen bomb sent shockwaves around the world, fundamentally altering the global geopolitical landscape." (From Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie, 1995)
General Public Discourse: During a televised debate on nuclear disarmament, one pundit remarked, "The sheer destructive power of even one hydrogen bomb makes its proliferation a terrifying prospect." (CNN, September 2023)
Television Series: In a fictional espionage thriller, a character might urgently warn, "They're attempting to smuggle components for a hydrogen bomb across the border!" (Example from a generic spy series)
Online Forum/Social Media: A user on a historical discussion forum posted, "I'm reading up on the history of nuclear weapons, and the jump from the atomic bomb to the hydrogen bomb was truly astounding." (Reddit, November 2023)
10 Famous Quotes Using Hydrogen Bomb
"The scientist is not responsible for the laws of nature. It is his job to find out how these laws operate... However, it is not the scientist's job to determine whether a hydrogen bomb should be constructed, whether it should be used, or how it should be used." (Edward Teller)
"The fact that no limits exist to the destructiveness of this weapon [the 'Super', i.e. the hydrogen bomb] makes its very existence and the knowledge of its construction a danger to humanity as a whole." (Enrico Fermi)
"Agriculture is now a motorized food industry, the same thing in its essence as the production of corpses in the gas chambers and the extermination camps, the same thing as blockades and the reduction of countries to famine, the same thing as the manufacture of hydrogen bombs." (Martin Heidegger)
"We are living in a world of fear. The life of man today is corroded and made bitter by fear: fear of the future, fear of the hydrogen bomb, fear of ideologies." (Sukarno)
"If you think it's offensive that I call alleged biblical miracles ridiculous, you should ask yourself whether or not it's ridiculous to insist that Muhammad flew on a winged horse... Or that Xenu, the dictator of the Galactic Confederacy, brought billions of his people to earth 75 million years ago and killed them using hydrogen bombs?" (David G. McAfee)
"The curtain was rung down on that phase of history, at least, by the sudden invention of the hydrogen bomb, of the ballistic missile and of rockets that can be aimed to hit the moon." (William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich)
"From the first chipped stone to the first smelted iron took nearly 3 million years; from the first iron to the hydrogen bomb took only 3,000." (Ronald Wright, A Short History of Progress)
"I'm proud to be called the father of the H-bomb. If not for me, the H-bomb would have been developed in Russia first." (Edward Teller)
"It is part of my responsibility as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to see to it that our country is able to defend itself against any possible aggressor. Accordingly I have directed the Atomic Energy Commission to continue its work on all forms of atomic weapons, including the so-called hydrogen or superbomb." (Harry S. Truman, February 1950)
"Had we not pursued the hydrogen bomb, there is a very real threat that we would now all be speaking Russian." (Edward Teller)
Etymology
The word "hydrogen bomb" is a compound term, meaning it's made up of two simpler words: "hydrogen" and "bomb."
Let's break them down:
Hydrogen: This word came into English in 1791, from the French "hydrogène," which was coined in 1787 by a group of French chemists, including Lavoisier. They built the word from Greek roots: "hydr-" (meaning "water") and "-gène" (meaning "producing"). So, "hydrogen" literally means "water-producing" because it forms water when it combines with oxygen.
Bomb: This word has been in English much longer, dating back to the late 17th century. It comes from the French "bombe," which in turn comes from the Italian "bomba," likely imitating the sound of an explosion. It simply refers to an explosive device.
When you put them together, "hydrogen bomb" refers to a specific type of extremely powerful explosive device. Its power comes from the nuclear fusion of hydrogen atoms, which is the same process that powers the sun and other stars.
The first known use of the full term "hydrogen bomb" in written English was in 1947, appearing in sources like The New York Times. This was around the time that scientists were actively working on developing such a weapon, following the development of the atomic bomb. So, its meaning from the very beginning was about this new, immensely destructive weapon that harnessed the power of hydrogen. The shortened form, "H-bomb," appeared a little later, in 1950.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Hydrogen Bomb
To drop a hydrogen bomb (on something/someone): To unleash a devastating and overwhelming attack or revelation.
Like a hydrogen bomb going off: Describing an extremely sudden, massive, and destructive event.
The equivalent of a hydrogen bomb: Used to emphasize the immense power, impact, or consequence of something.
A verbal hydrogen bomb: A highly impactful and potentially destructive statement or speech.
To have an H-bomb in one's back pocket: To possess a secret, powerful, and decisive advantage.
A social H-bomb: A situation or event with the potential to cause widespread social disruption or scandal.
A thermonuclear reaction (of emotions/events): Describing an intense and rapidly escalating situation, similar to the powerful reaction in an H-bomb.
To be sitting on a powder keg that could become an H-bomb: To be in a highly volatile situation with the potential for catastrophic escalation.
The atomic bomb was a firecracker compared to the H-bomb: Emphasizing a vast difference in scale or power between two things.
To defuse the hydrogen bomb (metaphorically): To successfully de-escalate a highly dangerous or explosive situation.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of hydrogen bomb from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
