destructive

adjective

di-ˈstrək-tiv How to pronounce destructive (audio)
Definition of destructivenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune technology used for destructive ends

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 destructive The world has seen many hurricanes rapidly intensify in recent years, strengthening from relatively weak storms into destructive monsters in a matter of hours. — Chanh Kieu, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026 The Trask boys are meant to represent a spectrum of good to bad, but as they’re encouraged to make individual choices, that also opens up the possibility of evil choices, selfish choices, destructive choices. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 All this heat has huge ripple effects, driving marine heat waves, fueling stronger and more destructive storms, damaging marine life and increasing sea level rise, both by melting ice and because warmer water takes up more space. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 The team notes that higher speeds increase this destructive potential. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for destructive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destructive
  1. devastating
  2. disastrous
  3. fatal
  4. unfortunate
  5. catastrophic
Adjective
  • Families confronting a devastating diagnosis may already be frightened, grieving and overwhelmed.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Nepal is still recovering from devastating flooding in August that swept away several villages, leaving more than 1,400 people dead and nearly 6,000 missing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • The designer had felt the atmosphere shift after her disastrous outdoor cruise collection in Marseille in May 2024, which was marred by a mini-storm.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • European leaders and oil executives at the time said that such a ban would be disastrous for long-term oil flow.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • In its statement, FARDC said an investigation to determine the actual circumstances and the exact causes of the fatal plane crash was already underway.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026
  • As flu season approaches, TikTokers are spreading a homemade elixir to supposedly boost the immune system that experts warn could in fact cause the fatal disease botulism.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of fatal
Adjective
  • These unfortunate souls were supposed to stay in their birthplace, hoping church charity would sustain them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Artistic but flighty, Deborah ends up at her parents’ alma mater when an unfortunate incident gets her NYU Tisch School of the Arts acceptance rescinded.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • Refining these predictive models will also improve safety for reentry vehicles and high-speed aircraft, ultimately minimizing or eliminating catastrophic water damage.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
  • If that wasn’t bad enough, the dead satellites would start crashing into things, creating cascades of high-speed debris that could destroy most remaining satellites in a catastrophic domino effect called Kessler syndrome.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of catastrophic

Browse Nearby Words

destructions
destructive
desuetude
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Cite this Entry

“Destructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destructive. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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