to go nuclear
2
8.3
- phrasal verb
- /ɡoʊ ˈnjuːklɚ/
- Informal
:
enfurecerse
- If the Democrats do regain a super-majority, I hope they go nuclear on the Republicans.
Once somebody goes nuclear, everybody's going to react.
- Once somebody goes nuclear, everybody's going to react.
- Will he go so far as to sacrifice everything and go nuclear?
Examples
-
Give regular customer service a chance to fix the problem before you go nuclear.
Blog text (32) -
Give regular customer service a chance to fix the problem before you go nuclear on them.
-
And she went nuclear on him.
Blog text (18) -
Once somebody goes nuclear, everybody's going to react.
-
Here I am going nuclear on GB Messpo at the 2,000 dead in Afghanistan thread.
Blog text (9) -
If my dad finds out I snuck out, he'll go nuclear and ground me for weeks.
-
Once somebody goes nuclear, everyone else tends to back off to avoid further conflict.
Synonyms
187
3.5
To suddenly show a strong feeling, often anger
123
4.2
To suddenly start in a strong or violent way, often showing strong feeling
27
7.7
To become very angry and act out of control
22
7.5
Suddenly become very angry
18
4.4
To show sudden strong anger or upset, often like a child
16
4.7
To suddenly become very angry and lose control
4
8.2
To become suddenly very angry and lose control
2
8.6
Suddenly get very angry and show it
2
5.8
Behave in a wild way without control
1
7.4
To suddenly become very angry
1
7.5
To act violently and destroy things without control
1
9.9
To suddenly get very angry and speak loudly for a long time
To suddenly become very angry or upset without control
To suddenly become very angry and behave in a mean way
To suddenly become very angry
To suddenly become very angry or upset and act childishly
Antonyms
How Angry
- Informal
2
8.3
- Informal
22
7.5
- Informal
7
5.3
2
3.7
77
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to decide to adopt nuclear power' is directly derivable from combining 'go' (come to be in a particular state) with 'nuclear' (relating to atomic energy); the construction 'go + adjective' routinely signals becoming or entering that state. This compositional pattern is common in English (e.g., 'go crazy', 'go public') and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Go nuclear may come from the idea of launching a nuclear bomb, a very powerful and explosive weapon. So when someone goes nuclear in an argument or action, they act with extreme, destructive anger, meaning 'to react with extreme anger or aggression'.