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
-
nondestructiveadjective
-
overdestructiveadjective
-
semidestructiveadjective
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undestructiveadjective
-
destructivelyadverb
-
interdestructivelyadverb
-
nondestructivelyadverb
-
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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stru, struct (make, build)
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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.
It’s a semi-immersive thriller about a struggling American actor in London who is hired to record an audio drama and finds the experience increasingly disturbing—and psychologically destructive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Scientists have uncovered a promising new way to protect some of the world's most important food crops from a destructive fungus that threatens global food security.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
She added that feelings of blame and guilt were "very common" during bereavement and could lead to "destructive" coping mechanisms.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Maduro has denied the charges he originally faced: "narco-terrorism" conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices as well as conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Her dad had seen all the same changes in the Sierra Nevada that she had in the past few years: bigger, more frequent, more destructive wildfires.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
