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
Relevance
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
Fujita initially assigned the storm an experimental F6 rating based on its extreme destruction.
—
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 11 May 2026
The scale of destruction has Lebanese officials and residents worried that large numbers of people displaced by the latest war will have nowhere to return if the fragile truce holds.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
That’s why Rosengren, UCSD colleagues Thomas Bewley and Ben Hanson, and colleagues at the University of Arizona are investigating rare, low-probability chances for destruction, thereby offering authorities the best advice on when to launch deflection missions.
—New Atlas, 10 May 2026
Experts blame climate change and habitat destruction for the rise in cases of the disease, which is usually caused by exposure to the urine or feces of infected rodents.
—Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for destruction
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 11 May 2026
The scale of destruction has Lebanese officials and residents worried that large numbers of people displaced by the latest war will have nowhere to return if the fragile truce holds.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
That’s why Rosengren, UCSD colleagues Thomas Bewley and Ben Hanson, and colleagues at the University of Arizona are investigating rare, low-probability chances for destruction, thereby offering authorities the best advice on when to launch deflection missions.
—New Atlas, 10 May 2026
Experts blame climate change and habitat destruction for the rise in cases of the disease, which is usually caused by exposure to the urine or feces of infected rodents.
—Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for destruction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destruction
Noun
-
Arellano was recognized for opinion writing for his columns illuminating the fear and devastation of local immigrants during last summer’s ICE raids.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
-
Since launching in Los Angeles in 2021, Bleak Week has consistently supported the notion that well-rendered, artistic tales of devastation play best to rooms full of people who are already primed for heartbreak.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
His downfall was as sudden as an avalanche.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
-
The Venezuelan Communist Party, which had already distanced itself from Maduro before his downfall, has become another major source of criticism against Rodríguez’s administration.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Used his size and good wheels to create havoc in the offensive zone, took on all comers and pitched in offensively with double-digit goals.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
-
Now, using currently available AI models, the barriers of entry to wreaking cyber havoc have been lowered.—
Hugh Son,Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
The only thing that would satisfy the gremlin in me is the ruination of my freedom.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The New York Knicks took care of business, to say the least, against the Philadelphia 76ers with another utter demolition on the road in a close-out game.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
The group also hopes this pending purchase protects the house from demolition, something the property owner is pushing for even though a previous request to demolish was denied last year.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
But those numbers capture only a fraction of deaths, which often are classified only by other, more immediate causes, such as bleeding in the brain.—
Lee Hutchinson,
ArsTechnica,
6 May 2026
-
Too much damage has been done to the character in recent years, to the point that any death would be seen as a mercy killing now.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Cable looked like an extinction event for broadcast.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026
-
For now, Northbrook Court has no plans of closing its doors, but from the looks of it, it may soon be headed toward extinction.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
In Hungary’s intensely gerrymandered system—originally designed to ensconce Orbán’s power, eventually a factor in his undoing—the plurality of votes that went to Magyar’s party will give it more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
But the same geological forces that formed the stacks may also be their undoing.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Destruction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destruction. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
