destructive

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de·struc·tive

(dĭ-strŭk′tĭv)

adj.

1. Causing or wreaking destruction; ruinous: a destructive act; a policy that is destructive to the economy.

2. Designed or tending to disprove or discredit: destructive criticism.

de·struc′tive·ly adv.

de·struc′tive·ness, de′struc·tiv′i·ty (dē′strŭk-tĭv′ĭ-tē) n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

destructive

(dɪˈstrʌktɪv)

adj

1. (often: postpositive and foll by of or to) causing or tending to cause the destruction (of)

2. intended to disprove or discredit, esp without positive suggestions or help; negative: destructive criticism. Compare constructive¹

deˈstructively adv

deˈstructiveness, destructivity n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

de•struc•tive

(dɪˈstrʌk tɪv)

adj.

1. tending to destroy; causing much damage: bacteria destructive of tooth enamel.

2. tending to overthrow, disprove, or discredit; negative (opposed to constructive): destructive criticism.

[1480–90; < Middle French < Late Latin]

de•struc′tive•ly, adv.

de•struc′tive•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.

destructive - causing destruction or much damage; "a policy that is destructive to the economy"; "destructive criticism"

harmful - causing or capable of causing harm; "too much sun is harmful to the skin"; "harmful effects of smoking"

negative - characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features; "a negative outlook on life"; "a colorless negative personality"; "a negative evaluation"; "a negative reaction to an advertising campaign"

constructive - constructing or tending to construct or improve or promote development; "constructive criticism"; "a constructive attitude"; "a constructive philosophy"; "constructive permission"

destructive

adjective

1. devastating, fatal, deadly, lethal, harmful, damaging, catastrophic, detrimental, hurtful, pernicious, noxious, ruinous, calamitous, cataclysmic, baleful, deleterious, injurious, baneful, maleficent the awesome destructive power of nuclear weapons

2. negative, hostile, discouraging, undermining, contrary, vicious, adverse, discrediting, disparaging, antagonistic, derogatory Try to give constructive rather than destructive criticism.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

destructive

adjective

1. Causing ruin or destruction:

calamitous, cataclysmal, cataclysmic, catastrophic, disastrous, fatal, fateful, ruinous.

2. Having the capability or effect of damaging irreparably:

pernicious, ruinous.

Translations

مُدَمِّرهَدّام

destruktivnípustošivý

destruktivødelæggende

destruktiv zerstörerisch

καταστρεπτικός καταστροφικός ολέθριος

destructivo destructor

destructeur destructif

destruktivanrazoranrušilački

destruktívromboló

niîurdrepandi, niîurrifs-skaîlegur, eyîileggjandi

distruttivo distruttore

destruktiv nedbrytende ødeleggende

deštruktívnypustošivý

kırıp dökücütahrip ediciyıkıcı

破坏性的破坏的

destructive

[dɪsˈtrʌktɪv] ADJ [weapon, person, behaviour, influence, emotion] → destructivo; [effect] → destructor; [child] → destrozón; [criticism, comment] → destructivo, negativo; [relationship] → destructivo, dañino
the destructive power of nuclear weapons → el poder destructivo or destructor de las armas nucleares
to be destructive of or to sth: products that are destructive of or to the environment → productos que destruyen el medio ambiente

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

destructive

[dɪˈstrʌktɪv] adj

(= damaging) → destructeur/trice

[power] → destructif/ive

[animal] → nuisible
a destructive child → un enfant qui casse tout

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

destructive

adj

(lit) power, nature, war, wind → zerstörerisch; effect → zerstörend; person, behaviour, tendencies → destruktiv; destructive weapon → Vernichtungswaffe f; the destructive force or power of … → die Zerstörungskraft von …; destructive urge (Psych) → Destruktionstrieb m; to be destructive of or to something (also fig) → etw zerstören; these air strikes are highly destructive of human life → diese Luftangriffe fordern viele Menschenleben; environmentally destructive projects → umweltzerstörende Projekte

(fig) power, emotion, influence, behaviour, criticism → destruktiv; the destructive power of gossip → die Destruktivität von Tratsch; a mutually destructive relationship → eine Beziehung, in der sich beide gegenseitig zerstören; the economically destructive effect of inflation → die schädliche Auswirkung der Inflation auf die Wirtschaft

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

destructive

[dɪsˈtrʌktɪv] adj (person) → distruttore/trice; (policy) → rovinoso/a; (action, power, criticism) → distruttivo/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

destruction

(diˈstrakʃən) noun

1. the act or process of destroying or being destroyed. the destruction of the city.

2. the state of being destroyed; ruin. a scene of destruction.

desˈtructive (-tiv) adjective

1. causing or able to cause destruction. Small children can be very destructive.

2. (of criticism etc) pointing out faults etc without suggesting improvements.

deˈstructively adverb

deˈstructiveness noun

destructive

adj destructivo

References in classic literature ?

It struck me, from watching those with whom I associated, that the life we were living was more destructive than that lived by the average man.

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THE OXEN once upon a time sought to destroy the Butchers, who practiced a trade destructive to their race.

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It consists in some defect or ugliness which is not painful or destructive. To take an obvious example, the comic mask is ugly and distorted, but does not imply pain.

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Those who would establish aristocratical governments are mistaken not only in giving too much power to the rich, but also in deceiving the common people; for at last, instead of an imaginary good, they must feel a real evil, for the encroachments of the rich are more destructive to the state than those of the poor.

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Certainly a Government might possess such a destructive machine.

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"No doubt about that," replied Morgan; "but it is very destructive, and ends by enlarging the bore of the pieces."

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The utmost malice of Fortune could, indeed, have contrived nothing so cruel, so mal-a-propos, so absolutely destructive to all his schemes.

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On Friday the Ninth of June in the present year, Mr and Mrs Boffin (in their manuscript dress of receiving Mr and Mrs Lammle at breakfast) were on the South Eastern Railway with me, in a terribly destructive accident.

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If this be so, fancy the irresistibleness of that might, to which the most impalpable and destructive of all elements contributes.

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The rapidity of the Russian pursuit was just as destructive to our army as the flight of the French was to theirs.

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He felt that this was rousing in his soul a feeling of anger destructive of his peace of mind and of all the good of his achievement.

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This decrease, no doubt, must be partly owing to the introduction of spirits, to European diseases (even the milder ones of which, such as the measles, [1] prove very destructive), and to the gradual extinction of the wild animals.