destructive
Americanadjective
-
tending to destroy; causing destruction or much damage (often followed by of orto ).
a very destructive windstorm.
- Synonyms:
- deleterious, ruinous
- Antonyms:
- creative
-
tending to overthrow, disprove, or discredit (opposed to constructive).
destructive criticism.
- Synonyms:
- negative, adverse, unfavorable
- Antonyms:
- constructive
adjective
-
causing or tending to cause the destruction (of)
-
intended to disprove or discredit, esp without positive suggestions or help; negative Compare constructive
destructive criticism
Other Word Forms
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destructivenessnoun
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destructivitynoun
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interdestructivenessnoun
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nondestructivenessnoun
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overdestructivenessnoun
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undestructivenessnoun
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interdestructiveadjective
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nondestructiveadjective
-
overdestructiveadjective
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semidestructiveadjective
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undestructiveadjective
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destructivelyadverb
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interdestructivelyadverb
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nondestructivelyadverb
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overdestructivelyadverb
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undestructivelyadverb
Etymology
Origin of destructive
First recorded in 1480–90; from Middle French, from Late Latin dēstructīvus, from Latin dēstruct(us) “demolished, torn down” ( see destruction) + -īvus -ive
Explanation
If something causes a lot of damage, you can talk about its destructive force or power. Something is destructive when it really messes things up. The word destructive comes from the Latin destruere which means literally to unbuild. In addition to describing a storm or battle, the word can be used for the things people say as well as do. If your mother's comments about your weight cause you to eat more bon bons, you could say that her remarks were destructive to your diet.
Vocabulary lists containing destructive
Latin Love, Vol I: struere
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Ocean Storm Alert!
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George's Key to the Universe, Lessons 1–5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nelson, who grew up in rural Abbott, Texas, and has a home there, called attention to the destructive environmental effects—“water thieving,” he wrote—and the impact on farmland, including small family farmers’ livelihoods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
It was not the destructive, free-flowing champion who once swept opponents aside.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
"Now we don't get as much as before," she said, blaming destructive fishing methods, particularly the use of lights at sea, for the depleting stocks.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Grabbing mighty scissors, he cuts and rejiggers Homer and a bit of Virgil to transform these classical texts into his type of tale: one fixated on memory, self-identity, destructive genius and the slippage of time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
I compare her to one of those destructive rivers that, when they become enraged, flood the plains, ruin the trees and buildings, raising the earth from one spot and dropping it onto another.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
