destructive
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
causing a lot of physical damage or harm to something.
causing or tending to cause severe physical damage, ruin, or harm.
Simple“The storm was very destructive and knocked down many old trees in the park.”
In context“The destructive power of the hurricane was evident in the flattened coastal villages and the complete loss of local infrastructure.”
Antonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
describes actions or habits that hurt people or relationships.
tending to destroy or negate; often used to describe psychological patterns or interpersonal dynamics that undermine well-being.
Simple“Constant lying is a destructive habit that ruins friendships.”
In context“The manager's destructive criticism eventually eroded the team's confidence and led to a sharp decline in productivity.”
Antonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
in computing, a process that changes or deletes original data so it cannot be brought back.
referring to processes, such as editing or file compression, where the original data is altered or discarded and cannot be fully restored.
Simple“Be careful because resizing the image this way is destructive and you will lose the original quality.”
In context“The software performs a destructive overwrite of the disk sectors, ensuring that the previous information is unrecoverable even with forensic tools.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'destructive editing' to contrast with methods that preserve the original file.
SynonymslossyirreversibleAntonymsnon destructive
“A soil fungus could offer a new way to tackle the hugely destructive caterpillars where chemical controls have fallen short.”
“It is also a love letter to King’s The Shining and has a strong environmental message too, concerning man’s uneasy and destructive relationship with the natural world.”
From Middle English destructyve, from Middle French destructif, from Latin dēstrūctīvus, from past participle of dēstruere (“to tear down, destroy”) + -īvus.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.