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 biggest change is the move to a non-destructive editing workflow. — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 4 Sep. 2026 The team stopped at 800 N because increasing the load further would require additional protective equipment, with a separate destructive limit test planned. — New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026 Danley in August railed against the plan, describing the concept as overengineered, noisier, more dangerous and needlessly destructive toward the river ecosystem around Barber Park. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026 In July 2025, a destructive wildfire tore through dense pines on the canyon’s northern edge, destroying the historic Grand Canyon Lodge — the park’s only lodging there. — Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 3 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
  • Released in 2025, the first part of Julia Loktev’s monumental documentary project My Undesirable Friends, subtitled Last Air in Moscow, gave us a sprawling, breathless look at a few devastating months in the lives of Russian journalists.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Levine Cava’s budget called them low-ridership bus routes, but transit advocates said service loss would be devastating for riders who use them.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • The disastrous late-August flash flooding near Phantom Ranch struck below the burn scar left by that blaze, the National Weather Service said.
    — Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The bill for the disastrous Leonard era now includes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the reigning, two-time MVP — 10 first-round picks and two additional pick swaps.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • An incident that for others might be fatal—a free fall from a high bridge—affects the coyote for only a brief moment.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • There is a broad debate over the applicability of PNB to modern anti-trust cases, with many legal scholars finding the application of a random number, without any real analysis of the potential harm a merger might cause, to be a fatal flaw.
    — Shubha Ghosh, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of fatal
Adjective
  • There are no Cubs players involved in the TikTok series, the Cubs told me, which is unfortunate since Crow-Armstrong has acting in his DNA — his mother and father are both actors — and probably would be at least as good as Damon.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Every mosquito has a type Count me among the unfortunate souls who are mosquito magnets; something about my body chemistry is irresistible to those tiny bloodsucking fiends.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of unfortunate
Adjective
  • But the day after her last conversations with her family, catastrophic floods struck Nepal’s valleys along the Chinese border killing more than 1,000 people and leaving another roughly 3,900 unaccounted for, according to the Associated Press.
    — Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • More than 1,000 people are dead and nearly 4,000 missing after a Himalayan glacial collapse unleashed catastrophic floods across the Nepal-China border, obliterating roads, towns and hydropower projects.
    — Shristi Kafle, Los Angeles Times, 1 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 7 Sep. 2026.

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