destructive

B1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /dɪˈstɹʊktɪv/ UK /dɪˈstɹʌktɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #10161

Meanings

1

adj
Causing a lot of damage or harm.

The hurricane was one of the most destructive in years.
2

adj
Harmful to someone's health, relationships or well-being.

He fell into a destructive pattern of behaviour.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

calamitous catastrophic devastating disastrous eradicative harmful pernicious ruinouswrackfulwreckful

Opposites

constructivenon-destructivenondestructiveproductive

Word family

Forms destructivelydestructiveness

Derived forms angiodestructiveantidestructiveautodestructivecyclodestructivecytodestructivedestructivelydestructivenessdestructivismdestructivistdestructivityhyperdestructiveimmunodestructive

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

destructive distillation
heating a solid in a closed vessel and collecting the substances released

Adjective + noun

Etymology

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

*strew- Proto-Indo-European destructyve Middle English destructif Middle French dēstrūctīvus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# destructive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /dɪˈstɹʊktɪv/
**IPA (UK):** /dɪˈstɹʌktɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 10161

## Meanings
1. Causing a lot of damage or harm.
2. Harmful to someone's health, relationships or well-being.

## Examples
- The hurricane was one of the most destructive in years.
- He fell into a destructive pattern of behaviour.

## Synonyms
- calamitous
- catastrophic
- devastating
- disastrous
- eradicative
- harmful
- pernicious
- ruinous
- wrackful
- wreckful

## Antonyms
- constructive
- non-destructive
- nondestructive
- productive

## Derived Forms
- angiodestructive
- antidestructive
- autodestructive
- cyclodestructive
- cytodestructive
- destructively
- destructiveness
- destructivism
- destructivist
- destructivity
- hyperdestructive
- immunodestructive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *strew-
- Root: destructyve
- Root: destructif
- Root: dēstrūctīvus

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

## AI Etymology
destructive comes from Middle English destructyve, from Middle French destructif, from Latin dēstrūctīvus, from past participle of dēstruere (“to tear down, destroy”) + -īvus. The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *strew-, Middle English destructyve, Middle French destructif, Latin dēstrūctīvus. Current senses include Causing a lot of damage or harm and Harmful to someone's health, relationships or well-being. English relatives and later formations include angiodestructive, antidestructive, autodestructive.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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