English Explanatory Dictionary

destructive

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Causing destruction; damaging.
  2. Causing breakdown or disassembly.
  3. Lossy; causing irreversible change.

Pronunciation

/dɪˈstɹʌktɪv/ /dɪˈstɹʊktɪv/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-destructuve.wav

Word forms

destructive more destructive most destructive

Etymology

From Middle English destructyve, from Middle French destructif, from Latin dēstrūctīvus, from past participle of dēstruere (“to tear down, destroy”) + -īvus.

Synonyms

calamitous catastrophic devastating disastrous eradicative harmful pernicious ruinous wrackful wreckful

Antonyms

constructive nondestructive non-destructive productive

Derived words

angiodestructive antidestructive autodestructive cyclodestructive cytodestructive destructive backspace destructive criticism destructive distillation destructive interference destructively destructiveness destructive read destructive sorites destructivism destructivist destructivity hyperdestructive immunodestructive indestructive interdestructive macrodestructive neurodestructive nondestructive non-destructive read omnidestructive overdestructive self-destructive semidestructive superdestructive ultradestructive undestructive
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