destructive
adjective
de·struc·tive
di-ˈstrək-tiv 
1
: causing destruction : ruinous
destructive storm
2
: designed or tending to hurt or destroy
destructive criticism
destructively
adverb
destructiveness
noun
Examples of destructive in a Sentence
It was one of the most destructive storms in recent memory.
She argued that the law was destructive of personal liberties.
The school is concerned about the destructive behavior of a few students.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Glass Fire has been more destructive than the Zogg Fire, which has damaged or destroyed 180 structures and torched 56,000 acres, though there have yet to be an injuries or fatalities reported in the Glass Fire.
—
Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
The tactics have transcended low-level website defacements and data theft too and now extend to more destructive attacks on systems such as energy grids, gas pipelines, and undersea cables.
—Brian Walsh, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Single-metric optimization—whether for profit or efficiency—creates fragile, often destructive systems.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
More recently, from 2013 to 2014, Gardin documented the destructive transit of cruise ships through Venice’s delicate canals—a grotesque symbol for the domination of the city, and the country, by tourism and big business.
—Max Norman, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destructive
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Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
The tactics have transcended low-level website defacements and data theft too and now extend to more destructive attacks on systems such as energy grids, gas pipelines, and undersea cables.
—Brian Walsh, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Single-metric optimization—whether for profit or efficiency—creates fragile, often destructive systems.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
More recently, from 2013 to 2014, Gardin documented the destructive transit of cruise ships through Venice’s delicate canals—a grotesque symbol for the domination of the city, and the country, by tourism and big business.
—Max Norman, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destructive
Cite this Entry
“Destructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/destructive. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
destructive
adjective
de·struc·tive
di-ˈstrək-tiv
1
: causing destruction : ruinous
a destructive storm
2
: designed or tending to hurt or destroy
destructive criticism
destructively
adverb
destructiveness
noun
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