bombshell
bombshell Lexical Profile
bombshell Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An unexpected, sudden, and often shocking piece of news, revelation, or event that has a dramatic or disruptive impact.
"The chief executive dropped a bombshell during the meeting by announcing his immediate resignation."
A strikingly attractive or glamorous person, especially a woman (informal).
"The classic film starred a famous Hollywood bombshell from the 1950s."
A hollow metal artillery projectile or casing filled with explosive material designed to detonate upon impact or by a fuse.
"Archaeologists uncovered an unexploded nineteenth-century bombshell buried near the old fortress."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 18th century as a literal military compound of 'bomb' and 'shell' referring to an explosive artillery projectile. The sense of a strikingly glamorous woman was popularized in 1933 by the Hollywood film 'Bombshell', starring Jean Harlow.