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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
technology used for destructive ends
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of destructive
Additionally, critical infrastructure within major cities remains a prime spot for cells to carry out destructive terror plots, with Iranian officials likely turning to proxy groups to sow fear within the population.
—
Julia Bonavita , Danielle Wallace , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025
The experience does acknowledge the destructive impact humans have had on the planet.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2025
The second hurricane of the Pacific season is expected to arrive along the coast east of Acapulco with destructive winds, life-threatening storm surge, and flash flooding.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 19 June 2025
The storm threatened to unleash destructive winds near where the eye crashes ashore, flash floods and a dangerous storm surge, forecasters said.
—Luis Alberto Cruz, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for destructive
Julia Bonavita , Danielle Wallace , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025
The experience does acknowledge the destructive impact humans have had on the planet.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 June 2025
The second hurricane of the Pacific season is expected to arrive along the coast east of Acapulco with destructive winds, life-threatening storm surge, and flash flooding.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 19 June 2025
The storm threatened to unleash destructive winds near where the eye crashes ashore, flash floods and a dangerous storm surge, forecasters said.
—Luis Alberto Cruz, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for destructive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destructive
Adjective
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Last Thursday, Trump gave the regime in Tehran an ultimatum: The mullahs needed to conclusively abandon their nuclear enrichment program or face devastating American strikes within the next two weeks.—
The Editors,
National Review,
22 June 2025
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Despite these devastating effects, access to specialized treatment is limited.—
Julienne Verdi,
Boston Herald,
22 June 2025
Adjective
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Skipping this governance checkpoint essentially means letting people create powerful and untested tools for decision making, which could be disastrous to an organization’s future success.—
Larry English,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
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Trading away Jokic would be disastrous, and the thought of it is just as bad.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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The United States has struck a crippling, but not fatal blow at Iran’s nuclear weapons aspirations.—
Brett Schaefer,
National Review,
23 June 2025
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And the mid-Atlantic recently saw its first fatal case of Heartland Virus.—
Pien Huang,
NPR,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Shakira does appear to be the beneficiary of an unintended consequence stemming from her unfortunate moves.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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The stern instructor displays a remarkable amount of patience as the student bashes the unfortunate victim against every solid surface in sight — even alien beings capable of traversing the cosmos can have bad days at the office.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Destructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destructive. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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