Synonyms of destruction

destruction

noun

di-ˈstrək-shən 

1

as in devastation

the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless

the violent storm resulted in the destruction of their tree house

Synonyms & Similar Words

• devastation
• havoc
• demolition
• extinction
• loss
• extermination
• annihilation
• obliteration
• decimation
• ruin
• ruination
• wastage
• wreckage
• demolishment
• collapse
• desolation
• disintegration
• slaughter
• mincemeat
• depredation
• dissolution
• massacre
• execution
• despoliation
• breakup
• killing
• assassination
• despoilment
• eradication
• dismantlement
• effacement

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• building
• construction
• erection
• saving
• salvation
• raising
• rescue
• protection
• preservation
• salvage
• conservation
• restoration
• reconstruction
• reclamation
• remodeling
• renovation
• re-creation
• refurbishment
• regeneracy

2

as in downfall

something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life

alcohol will be her destruction if we don't intervene to help her

Synonyms & Similar Words

• downfall
• ruination
• death
• undoing
• kiss of death
• curse
• ruin
• torment
• bane
• tragic flaw
• Achilles' heel

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of destruction

The destruction was devastating for a congregation that relied on donations from around the world to secure its four-acre property. — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Awash in 10-foot-high floodwaters, this area became the disaster’s unwitting poster child, its destruction still strewn about 21 years later. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

After a great magical crystal is destroyed, you and your best bud Lasswell head out on an adventure to stop the destruction of other crystals. — Jay Peters, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026

Some predict a large-scale destruction of employment in the imperial centers, although many economists counter that labor will be reallocated rather than replaced. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026