destructive

English

Etymology

From Latin destructivus, from past participle of destruere (“to tear down, destroy”) + -ivus

Pronunciation

de*struc"tive

Adjective

destructive (comparative more destructive, superlative most destructive)

1. Causing destruction; damaging.
2. Causing break down 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

Antonyms

• constructive
• nondestructive
• productive

Related terms

• destruct
• destruction
• destructively
• destructiveness
• destructivity

Translations

causing destruction; damaging

Bulgarian: разрушителен (bg) Croatian: rázōran (hr), dȅstruktīvan (hr), rùšilačkī (hr) Dutch: destructief, destructieve, verwoestend, verwoestende Finnish: tuhoisa (fi) French: destructif (fr) German: destruktiv (de), schädlich (de), zerstörend (de) Greek: καταστροφικός (el) (katastrofikos) m., καταστρεπτικός (el) (katastreptikos) m.

Hebrew: הרסני (harsany) Interlingua: destructive Italian: distruttivo (it) Portuguese: destrutivo Romanian: distructiv (ro) m. and n., ditrugător (ro) m. and n., dstrugător (ro) m. and n. Russian: разрушительный (ru) Scottish Gaelic: millteach, sgriosach, sgriosail Spanish: destructivo (es)

---

Latin

Adjective

dēstructīve

1. vocative masculine singular of dēstructīvus