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destructive Definition

de·struc·tive (di struk′tiv)

adjective

  1. tending or likely to cause destruction
  2. causing or producing destruction; destroying
  3. merely negative; not helpful destructive criticism

Etymology: OFr destructif < LL destructivus

destructive Related Forms

de·struc′·tively adverb de·struc′·tive·ness noun or de′·struc′·tiv′·itydē′struk′tiv′ə tē, di-

destructive Synonyms

destructive

modif.

  1. Unfavorable

    adverse, negative, not constructive; see unfavorable 2.

  2. Destroying

    ruinous, noxious, baneful, pestiferous, noisome, cancerous, fatal, deleterious, pestilential, catastrophic, calamitous, disastrous, productive of serious evil, cataclysmal, eradicative, fell, demolitionary, devastating, dire, lethal, extirpative, internecine, mortal, mischievous, detrimental, annihilative, hurtful, harmful, arsonistic, conflagrative, subversive, incendiary, murderous, disruptive, suicidal, evil, injurious, venomous, pernicious, toxic, baleful, disintegrative, corrosive, corroding, erosive, eroding, damaging; see also deadly 1, harmful, poisonous.

    Antonyms helpful*, curative*, life-saving.

destructive Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • distillation: It is manufactured by the destructive distillation of wood or cellulose, hence it is called ' wood alcohol ' .
  • interference: Certain wavelengths, and therefore certain colors, will be extinguished due to destructive interference.
  • tsunami: The site contains information about the Alaskan earthquake of 1964 which generated a destructive tsunami in Alaska.
  • weaponry: The answer is not to urge the most powerful ruling classes, with the most destructive weaponry, to join the fray.
  • payload: Also, it did not contain a destructive payload.
  • emotion: Now we do tend to think of jealousy as a negative and destructive emotion.

Modifying Another Word

  • environmentally: Poverty is the most environmentally destructive force on the planet.
  • socially: Hence Hackney Council's ecstatic embrace of a socially destructive educational policy.
  • massively: British environmental groups, under the banner of the Stonehenge Alliance, have roundly condemned the scheme as " massively destructive " .
  • potentially: Furthermore, high quality thermal fuses safeguard against costly equipment failure caused by potentially destructive power surges.
  • mutually: For some, you have a marriage made in heaven; for others, a mutually destructive hell.
  • inherently: Love is irreconcilable with evil because love seeks the genuine happiness and peace of humanity, whereas evil is inherently destructive.

Used with adjective complement

  • prove: Trust is the key factor in any relationship, but one mistake can prove destructive.
  • become: The rest of us were indeed becoming rather destructive, with some of the furniture getting broken.
  • seem: Sure people talk about positive stereotyping but in these areas making such overt polarization seems destructive.
  • see: As well as creative love, we see destructive, grasping selfishness.

Preposition: in

term: Mr Hain said France's policy might bring short-term gains, but described as destructive in the long term.

Preposition: of

  • environment: Furthermore, mainstream trade can be destructive of the environment, depriving the poor of sustainable livelihoods.
  • Christianity: And riches naturally beget pride, love of the world, and every temper that is destructive of Christianity.

Preposition: than

war: This civil war was far more destructive than the war with Germany had been, since it encompassed the whole of the Russian empire.