destruction Hear it!

destruction Definition

de·struc·tion (di struk′s̸hən)

noun

  1. the act or process of destroying; demolition or slaughter
  2. the fact or state of being destroyed
  3. the cause or means of destroying

Etymology: ME destruccioun < OFr destruction < L destructio < destructus, pp. of destruere: see destroy

destruction Synonyms

destruction

n.

  1. The act of destroying

    demolition, demolishing, ruin, ruining, wrecking, tearing down, razing, leveling, annihilation, devastation, holocaust, eradication, obliteration, slaying, slaughter, carnage, liquidation, extirpation, overthrow, subversion, extermination, elimination, ravaging, consumption, abolition, murder, assassination, killing, disruption, bombardment, burning, dynamiting, laying waste, tearing apart, disintegration, extinction, ravagement, wreckage, subjugation, despoiling, depredation, dissolution, butchery, sabotage, subverting, ravaging, pillaging, plundering, despoliation, sacking, vandalism, subjugation, crushing, dissolving, invalidating, extinguishing, overthrowing, collision, crashing, falling, felling, dismantling, gutting, defacing, shattering, smashing, trampling, knocking down, stamping out, wiping out, sack, rack and ruin, crack of doom*; see also carnage, wreck 1.

    Antonyms production*, formation*, erection. *

  2. The condition after destruction

    ruin, waste, ashes, wreck, annihilation, devastation, havoc, vestiges, desolation, ruins, overthrow, decay, dilapidation, disintegration, loss, bane, blight, remains, remnants, prostration, injury, impairment, ravage, downfall, end, bankruptcy, starvation, plague, shipwreck, dissolution, removal, sacrifice, disorganization, immolation; see also damage 2.

    Antonyms restoration*, renovation*, renewal.

destruction implies annihilation or demolition, as by fire, explosion, flood, etc. the destruction of the village in an air raid; ruin implies a state of decay, disintegration, etc. especially through such natural processes as age and weather the barn is in a state of ruin; havoc suggests total destruction or devastation, as following an earthquake or hurricane the storm wreaked havoc along the coast; dilapidation implies a state of ruin or shabbiness resulting from neglect the dilapidation of a deserted house

destruction Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • rainforest: Of course the single biggest loss of habitat is the destruction of the rainforests.
  • embryo: PGD involves the destruction of embryos as a matter of course.
  • temple: There is also the question of how total the destruction of the temple was.
  • habitat: This destruction of habitat is damaging for otter populations.
  • ozone: Be able to outline the chemical reactions involved in the destruction of ozone by nitrous oxides, CFCs and other chlorine compounds.
  • cartilage: They can lead to instant bone on bone contact and destruction of the articular cartilage over time.

Converse of object

  • wreak: Below is a famous reconstructed map of what Shoreham is meant to have looked like before the sea wreaked such destruction.
  • assure: The possession of nuclear weapons by both sides led to the ultimate deterrent doctrine of mutually assured destruction.
  • inflict: Iraq viewed the United States as responsible for the death and destruction inflicted by the coalition in 1991.
  • escape: However, the Bell tower of the old church escaped destruction.

Adjective modifier

  • mass: Who makes weapons of mass destruction: UK, USA.
  • wanton: Today, as if to compensate for the Cultural Revolution's wanton destruction, refurbishment is almost complete.
  • wholesale: This wholesale destruction of accumulated wisdom in the name of God precipitated the dark ages from which we did not recover until the Renaissance.
  • utter: The utter destruction of all that opposed you would be a quite sufficient sign.
  • wilful: The park's superintendent Mr. R. Upton, said: " This vandalism is wilful destruction.
  • widespread: The archeological community is increasingly alarmed as the illegal excavation of antiquities to feed these trade has led to widespread destruction.

Noun used with modifier

  • rainforest: In April we launched our campaign exposing the food retailer's role in rainforest destruction.
  • habitat: Be able to explain the consequences of habitat destruction.
  • ozone: Among the latter is chlorine monoxide, which initiates ozone destruction in the presence of sunlight.
  • mass: Bell's George W Bush is the unholy innocent, a literal dumb ape, a chimpanzee spreading gleeful mass destruction.