destruction
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of damaging something so badly that it is completely ruined or no longer exists.
the action of causing such severe damage to an object or entity that it ceases to exist or function.
Simple“The sudden flood caused the total destruction of several homes along the river.”
In context“The deliberate destruction of cultural heritage sites during the conflict was condemned by international observers as a war crime.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the state of being ruined or the damage left behind after a disaster.
the condition of having been destroyed; the physical remains or state of ruin following a destructive event.
Simple“We were shocked by the scale of destruction left behind by the storm.”
In context“Surveying the destruction, the emergency teams realised that the infrastructure would take years to fully rebuild.”
Synonyms - 03 C2 Proficiency
a special name for a group of wild or homeless cats.
a collective noun specifically used for a group of feral cats.
Simple“A destruction of feral cats lived in the old warehouse near the docks.”
In context“The author used the term 'a destruction of cats' to evoke a sense of wildness and disorder in the abandoned city.”
UsageThis is a collective noun and is rarely used in everyday conversation.
Teacher's tipThis is a 'term of venery' or a poetic collective noun; students should know it exists but use 'group' or 'colony' in normal speech.
Synonymscolonyclowder
“Even so, it is clear that wildfires can have environmental consequences that extend far beyond the destruction of local vegetation in terms of time and distance.”
“Water voles are also threatened by habitat destruction.”
Inherited from Middle English destruccioun, from Old French destrucion, from Latin dēstructiō, dēstructiōnem.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.