destruction

noun

di-ˈstrək-shən How to pronounce destruction (audio)
Definition of destructionnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of destruction The destruction also forced the McDermotts to close Caddy Shacks during a particularly important stretch for the seasonal resort town. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026 Comparing himself to anti-capitalist killer Luigi Mangione, the suspect has sparked online debate in Southern California’s warehouse belt over crushing living costs, stagnant pay and growing sympathy for politically motivated destruction. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Still, the game smartly kicks off with a quick rundown of what went down in the first Isolation, narrated by Ripley, who was responsible for the destruction of the infested Sevastopol station. — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 3 Sep. 2026 There is no backstop to help with the demand destruction, as the economists put it, to just get the demand to a place where the supply can actually catch up. — Joel Feder, The Drive, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for destruction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destruction
  1. devastation
  2. downfall
  3. havoc
  4. ruination
  5. demolition
  6. death
  7. extinction
  8. undoing
Noun
  • Once there, staring at the devastation, there was no denying the reality of death.
    — Torie Bosch, STAT, 5 Sep. 2026
  • That moment came after floodwaters caused the Guadalupe River to rise to historic levels in the early morning hours of Independence Day, bringing death and devastation to Kerr County and the surrounding area.
    — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of devastation
Noun
  • Holmes’s downfall has, after all, been chronicled in multiple storytelling forms, including the podcast The Dropout and the popular Hulu series of the same name starring Amanda Seyfried.
    — Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Rodriguez doesn’t seem too concerned about the potential of any downfalls in communicating calls on the field.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of downfall
Noun
  • So far, Bailey has shown blazing speed off the edge and an ability to create havoc in the backfield.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Although not a direct hit, Lala dumped nearly 3 feet of rain on the Big Island, bringing widespread havoc.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • No other city in the country would blow off the ruination of a community.
    — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
  • Some of these are arranged into more staid compositions of geometric bands of color, while others bend and bulge into shapes evoking the baroque ruination of junk-yard findings.
    — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of ruination
Noun
  • But just a couple of hundred yards away, Israeli tanks and bulldozers are visible, and the demolition of buildings continues apace.
    — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The Marriott Marquis hotel tower replaced five of them, including the beloved old Morosco, and outrage over their demolition continues to this day.
    — Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of demolition
Noun
  • Emily Motyka and Kyle Sage have pleaded guilty to their roles in Nordquist's death.
    — Madison Scott, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • After the shooting, the internet lit up with macabre stories of death, disfigurement, and disability wrought by claim denials—DJs in clubs even spun dance music with Luigi’s face flashing behind them.
    — Elizabeth Nicholas, Vanity Fair, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of death
Noun
  • The sport itself was, for some time, considered to be on its way to slow extinction.
    — Corey Seymour, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • But a myth about these shy, semi-nocturnal predators may have been behind the species’ extinction.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of extinction
Noun
  • That part was sorely lacking at LSU and was a big reason for his undoing.
    — Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Will be a factor early especially with the inside draw, but distance will be his undoing.
    — Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of undoing

Browse Nearby Words

destructible
destruction
destructions
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Cite this Entry

“Destruction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destruction. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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