Destructive

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /dɪˈstɹʌktɪv/, /dɪˈstɹʊktɪv/

Origin

From Middle French destructif, from Latin destructivus, from past participle of destruere ("to tear down, destroy") + -ivus.

Full definition of destructive

Adjective

1. Causing destruction; damaging.
• 2013, February 14, Scott Tobias, Film: Reviews: A Good Day To Die Hard, After rescuing his estranged daughter in the last film, Live Free Or Die Hard, Willis heads to Russia to rescue his estranged son (Jai Courtney), a CIA agent on a mission to protect a whistleblower (Sebastian Koch) from a corrupt government official (Sergei Kolesnikov) with no shortage of destructive resources at his disposal.
2. Causing breakdown or disassembly.Catabolism is a destructive metabolism which involves the break down of molecules and release of energy.

Synonyms

• calamitous
• catastrophic
• devastating
• disastrous
• eradicative
• harmful
• pernicious
• ruinous
• wrackful
• wreckful

Antonyms

• constructive
• nondestructive
• productive

Related terms

• destruct
• destruction
• destructively
• destructiveness
• destructivity