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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disastrous
bringing about ruin or misfortune
technology used for destructive ends
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of destructive
Los Angeles County's Palisades and Eaton fires that erupted that day are among California's most destructive on record, in terms of structures destroyed.
—
Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 20 Jan. 2025
The wildfires raging in Los Angeles have scorched an area larger than the size of Paris and two are already the most destructive in Southern California history.
—Matt Friedman, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025
Zooey revealed in an Instagram post on Friday, Jan. 17, that her and Emily’s childhood home in the Pacific Palisades, Calif., was burned down by the destructive Palisades Fire.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Indeed, without American renewal there will be a crushing international depression and destructive chaos in the world.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for destructive 
Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 20 Jan. 2025
The wildfires raging in Los Angeles have scorched an area larger than the size of Paris and two are already the most destructive in Southern California history.
—Matt Friedman, CNN, 19 Jan. 2025
Zooey revealed in an Instagram post on Friday, Jan. 17, that her and Emily’s childhood home in the Pacific Palisades, Calif., was burned down by the destructive Palisades Fire.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Indeed, without American renewal there will be a crushing international depression and destructive chaos in the world.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for destructive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destructive
Adjective
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The utility giant, Florida Power & Light, spent $3 billion on adaptive measures after a devastating 2004-2005 hurricane season left citizens without electricity for more than half a month.—
Dipka Bhambhani,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
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At just 42 years old, Allison Freedman’s life took an unexpected and devastating turn.—
Emily Cegielski,
Flow Space,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Many in the comments could relate to roommate frustration, which often manifests in similar ways—as simple household tasks leading to disastrous misfires.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
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Many Democrats are angry that Biden clung to power and refused to allow for an open primary, only stepping aside after a disastrous debate performance provoked an internal revolt against his candidacy.—
Jonathan Easley,
The Hill,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But as Trump prepares to retake the White House Monday, Democratic leaders have highlighted other results that show November's losses are not fatal.—
Stephen Fowler,
NPR,
18 Jan. 2025
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In subsequent comments, Cal Fire said no emissions or smog inspections were conducted and warned that a vehicle failure in a fire zone could be fatal.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacramento Bee,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Millions of businesses have been targeted, revealing the unfortunate truth: cybercrime has become a daily occurrence among various enterprises.—
William Jones,
USA TODAY,
16 Jan. 2025
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Far too often over the previous three seasons, unfortunate and often unlucky things happened when Jackson threw the ball in Bateman’s direction.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near destructive
Cite this Entry
“Destructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destructive. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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