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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of destructive
The new severe weather alerts follow a weekend of destructive storms that spawned multiple twisters in parts of Mississippi and Texas.
—
Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Formosan termites are subterranean termites that form large, highly destructive colonies in the South.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
All your hard work and planning can be set back by just a few minutes of destructive chewing.
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 25 Apr. 2026
Enid takes a direct hit from violent tornado A large and slow-moving destructive tornado tracked through Enid, Oklahoma, Thursday evening, triggering a rare tornado emergency — the National Weather Service’s most urgent type of tornado warning.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for destructive
Kyle Reiman, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
Formosan termites are subterranean termites that form large, highly destructive colonies in the South.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
All your hard work and planning can be set back by just a few minutes of destructive chewing.
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 25 Apr. 2026
Enid takes a direct hit from violent tornado A large and slow-moving destructive tornado tracked through Enid, Oklahoma, Thursday evening, triggering a rare tornado emergency — the National Weather Service’s most urgent type of tornado warning.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for destructive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destructive
Adjective
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Decades later, the protagonist of Repetition reflects on her mother and father’s relationship, about the devastating truths that are the source of her mother’s intense anxieties.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
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Houston looked good from the start in this one after squandering a six-point lead in the final 26 seconds of regulation in a devastating 112-108 overtime loss Friday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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After last year’s disastrous Eaton fire, Southern California Edison executives vowed to be transparent about what caused the inferno that killed at least 19 people and left thousands of families homeless in Altadena.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Sturm then gave Swayman the mercy pull, which frankly could have happened after the disastrous first.—
Stephen Conroy,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Homicide detectives are investigating the fatal shootings of three adults in Baldwin Park last week — two of whom were a married couple, officials said, who were being mourned by their college-age children.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Police have arrested a man on murder and firearm charges in connection with a fatal shooting in Stratford earlier this month.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Even before the president set off this unfortunate round of gerrymandering, Democratic states such as New York and Illinois were already heavily gerrymandered.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2026
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He’s beaten by thugs with a crowbar for an unfortunate outburst, exploited by neighbors in the council estate and arrested, all because people don’t understand Tourette syndrome.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Despite heroic acts of survival, 25 girls and two counselors died in the catastrophic flooding, as did camp co-owner Dick Eastland.—
Brian Brant,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
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This year, several Western states had very dry to record-dry winters, setting them up for a potentially catastrophic wildfire season.—
Austin Amestoy,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Destructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destructive. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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