1
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
the destructive storm blew down trees all over town, and blew the roof off our neighbor's house
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2
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
technology used for destructive ends
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of destructive
Animal welfare groups and shelters say that cameras can help owners spot signs of stress, boredom or destructive behavior early, particularly in indoor cats or those adjusting to a new home.
—
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Heifler was charged with federal counts of unlawful possession and making of destructive devices.
—Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026
This simpler and less complex design could still produce a genuine nuclear explosion, comparable in destructive power to early weapons.
—Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
To emphasize that new technology can’t change bad behavior, Josh mirrors many of the same demeaning and destructive traits of showrunner Paulie G (Lance Barber), the antagonist of Seasons One and Two.
—Jennifer Silverman, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for destructive
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
Heifler was charged with federal counts of unlawful possession and making of destructive devices.
—Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 30 Mar. 2026
This simpler and less complex design could still produce a genuine nuclear explosion, comparable in destructive power to early weapons.
—Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026
To emphasize that new technology can’t change bad behavior, Josh mirrors many of the same demeaning and destructive traits of showrunner Paulie G (Lance Barber), the antagonist of Seasons One and Two.
—Jennifer Silverman, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for destructive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destructive
Adjective
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Just days later, Duke suffered a devastating loss with a Final Four berth on the line.—
Cole Sullivan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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The Pentagon is reportedly preparing for weeks of ground operations inside Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal, including a potentially devastating and dangerous mission to excavate uranium from the country.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Duke appeared to be too much for the Huskies, who went more than five minutes without scoring during a disastrous first-half stretch to fall behind, 44-25.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
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And years later, when the group splintered into increasingly militant factions, some took part in a disastrous bank robbery that killed an innocent guard and two police officers—three men who were just doing their jobs that day, and who left behind their own kids, their own families.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That is the highest-level designation for severe accidents, placing it alongside the fatal Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) shuttle disasters in terms of gravity.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
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The cause of that fatal accident remains under investigation.—
Anna McAllister,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That house has a history of unfortunate events, including the fate of Cookie, an errant heiress and her pooch.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
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The start of 2026 has been a series of unfortunate events for Michelle Harris and her family.—
Monique John,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Much like with the newspaper industry, the internet has had a similar impact on radio stations, just not quite as catastrophic.—
Mac Engel
April 2,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
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Most notably — and most devastatingly — Woods was involved in a one-car rollover crash in Los Angeles in February 2021, which left him with catastrophic leg injuries.—
Megan Armstrong,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Destructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destructive. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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