1
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
the destructive storm blew down trees all over town, and blew the roof off our neighbor's house
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2
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
technology used for destructive ends
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Recent Examples of destructive
Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the line-up will also feature a special performance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale that is likely tied to a tribute to the city’s endurance following the deadly and destructive wildfires.
—
Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2025
Green and Butler are two of the most destructive help-side defenders in the league, and that tag team has been wreaking havoc.
—Anthony Slater, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Image In the months that followed, Israeli forces battered the group, and its iron grip on Lebanon’s politics came undone, with many Lebanese blaming Hezbollah for dragging the country into one of its deadliest and most destructive wars.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025
Disruption of this barrier triggers damaged neurons or the immune system to release certain chemicals that result in destructive biochemical processes.
—Aaron Priester, The Conversation, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destructive
Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2025
Green and Butler are two of the most destructive help-side defenders in the league, and that tag team has been wreaking havoc.
—Anthony Slater, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
Image In the months that followed, Israeli forces battered the group, and its iron grip on Lebanon’s politics came undone, with many Lebanese blaming Hezbollah for dragging the country into one of its deadliest and most destructive wars.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025
Disruption of this barrier triggers damaged neurons or the immune system to release certain chemicals that result in destructive biochemical processes.
—Aaron Priester, The Conversation, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destructive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destructive
Adjective
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Turmoil continues in Haiti The Obama administration granted TPS to Haiti in 2010, after a devastating magnitude 7.1 earthquake destroyed the Haitian capital.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
22 Feb. 2025
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Bass cited Crowley’s response to last month’s devastating wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 29 people.—
Ethan Millman,
Rolling Stone,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Three campaigns stand out — one weirdly funny, one weirdly disastrous and one weirdly endearing.—
Steven Hyden,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
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Victor Kristiansen, January 2023 Similar to Faes, Kristiansen only knows a relegation dogfight in the Premier League after joining midway through the disastrous 2022-23 season.—
Rob Tanner,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Gordon Cordeiro had his freedom secured on Friday after a judge ordered him released in light of new DNA evidence that led to the overturning of his conviction in the 1994 fatal shooting of Timothy Blaisdell on the island of Maui.—
Landon Mion,
Fox News,
23 Feb. 2025
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Even a pencil tip amount of the synthetic opioid pain reliever drug can be fatal, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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There is an unfortunate flipside, though: Bond Could Receive Questionable Franchise Extensions That’s been the fear since Amazon acquired MGM in 2020.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
21 Feb. 2025
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But over the last few weeks, bagel eaters around the city have been confronted with some unfortunate news: Signs are plastered across shop counters stating a $1.25 additional surcharge for any bagel sandwiches featuring eggs.—
Zoya Hasan,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Destructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destructive. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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