Synonyms of wrecking

wrecking 1 of 2

noun

as in wreck

the destruction or loss of a ship

the wrecking of the freighter was one of the worst disasters ever on the Great Lakes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wreck
• sinking
• shipwreck
• shipwrecking
• wreckage
• stranding
• beaching
• grounding
• foundering
• scuttling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovery
• salvage
• salvaging

wrecking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wreck

1

as in scuttling

to cause irreparable damage to (a ship) by running aground or sinking

many an unwary captain has wrecked his ship on the shoals that surround the island

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scuttling
• stranding
• shipwrecking
• foundering
• beaching

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovering
• salvaging

2

as in destroying

to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of

most of the furniture on the ground floor was wrecked by the floodwaters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroying
• ruining
• demolishing
• shattering
• devastating
• smashing
• damaging
• overcoming
• wasting
• annihilating
• decimating
• extinguishing
• pulverizing
• eroding
• razing
• ravaging
• vaporizing
• marring
• crippling
• wracking
• totaling
• dismantling
• crushing
• killing
• creaming
• blasting
• tearing down
• breaking
• nuking
• defeating
• pulling down
• removing
• injuring
• doing in
• desolating
• rubbing out
• harming
• subduing
• impairing
• spoiling
• conquering
• disintegrating
• deteriorating
• mutilating
• licking
• trimming
• mastering
• clobbering
• dynamiting
• whipping
• mangling
• defacing
• prevailing (over)
• routing
• disfiguring
• dissolving
• surmounting
• thrashing
• eradicating
• obliterating
• winning (against)
• gutting
• scouring
• undoing
• plundering
• walloping
• beating
• wearing (away)
• vandalizing
• disassembling
• besting
• slaughtering
• vitiating
• exterminating
• murdering
• triumphing (over)
• sweeping (away)
• despoiling
• trashing
• looting
• expunging
• sacking
• assassinating
• trampling
• trouncing
• liquidating
• extirpating
• pillaging
• executing
• blowing up
• scotching
• effacing
• washing out
• overmatching
• massacring
• wiping out
• overbearing
• drubbing
• taking down
• dispatching
• slaying
• zapping
• butchering
• cutting down
• stamping (out)
• dilapidating
• unmaking
• blotting out
• unbuilding
• rooting (out)
• felling
• skunking
• killing off
• snuffing (out)
• mowing (down)
• taking out
• havocking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• building
• constructing
• repairing
• raising
• erecting
• creating
• fixing
• rearing
• setting up
• producing
• making
• forming
• putting up
• inventing
• shaping
• manufacturing
• assembling
• establishing
• forging
• protecting
• organizing
• fashioning
• framing
• revamping
• preserving
• patching
• saving
• reconditioning
• mending
• molding
• fabricating
• constituting
• instituting
• restoring
• rebuilding
• doctoring
• founding
• conserving
• bringing about
• reconstructing
• remodeling
• fathering
• renovating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of wrecking

Noun

At least, there was a lot less wrecking. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026

The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime. — The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026

In one case, the life of an upper-class woman and contemporary of Julius Caesar, Clodia, saw her reputation destroyed by false claims of harlotry, home-wrecking, and husband-killing. — Time, 24 Nov. 2025

The addresses listed in the wrecking permits border the east of the truck plant where Ford makes its iconic Super Duty trucks, Expedition SUVs and luxury Lincoln Navigators. — Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025

Leaving a dog at home alone can be nerve-wrecking for many owners, but pet-cam footage shows why Larry the greyhound's owner has nothing to worry about. — Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025

The wrecking begins when Carey (Marvin), Paul’s best friend, ill-advisedly sleeps with Julie—and then, more ill-advisedly still, confesses it to Paul the next day. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025

Verb

Here’s how the shift happened, what the ingredient actually does below the neck and how to fold it into a routine without wrecking your skin barrier. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Sep. 2026

The general public learned of the demolition plan only when the wrecking equipment began work nearly three months later. — Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2026

Martin insisted that it could be done without schmaltz, but the singer was wary of wrecking their reputation with classical pretensions. — Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

An eight-game lead with 25 games left is a virtual lock for Brewers manager Pat Murphy and his wrecking crew, as even optimistic Cubs fans understand. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

The previous record-strong El Niño in modern times, in 1982-83, coincided with significant damage across the coastline, wrecking the piers in Santa Monica and Seal Beach. — Robert Gauthier, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

In a May interview on The Pivot Podcast, Davis blamed his opioid abuse for wrecking his home life. — Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026

Come for the timeliness, stay for Cap wrecking a bunch of guys in an elevator. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2026

The blaze remained confined to the wrecking yard property, despite briefly jumping a fence and igniting vegetation to the west. — Sacbee.com, 4 July 2026