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

Synonyms of destructive

• devastating
• disastrous
• devastative

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 project was on the side of a scrubby hill that looked nothing like the steep timber and chaparral where California’s destructive fires burn and the insurance market has fled. — Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

The violence was easier to process then as a negative act, something destructive. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

The massive storm brought destructive winds and storm surge across a wide swath of South Florida, with damage stretching from Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale to Hallandale Beach, Everglades City and the Lake Okeechobee region. — Hank Tester, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Among the most destructive munitions in Western military arsenals, an MK-84 explosion sends metal fragments in every direction for thousands of feet, can rip through metal and thick concrete, and often creates large craters in the earth. — Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing destructive

• destructive distillation
• self-destructive

Rhymes for destructive

• abductive
• conductive
• constructive
• deductive
• inductive
• instructive
• obstructive
• productive
• reductive
• seductive
• counterproductive
• photoconductive

Kids 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