1
as in devastation
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the violent storm resulted in the destruction of their tree house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
alcohol will be her destruction if we don't intervene to help her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of destruction
No Other Land, a documentary made by Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers about destruction in the West Bank, stirred up discussion when it was nominated and then won an Oscar, despite not having proper U.S. distribution.
—
Barry Levitt, Time, 11 Apr. 2025
Erratic exchange rates, years of institutionalized corruption under the Assad regime, and war led to the destruction or closure of thousands of businesses.
—Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2025
Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, lost hundreds of trees following the destruction from Hurricane Helene last fall, with players commenting on it ahead of the Masters starting this week.
—Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Police arrest two protesters on charges of disorderly conduct and destruction of property, but nonviolence prevails, with protesters pulling peers away from a confrontation with a taxi driver.
—Steve Earley, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destruction
Barry Levitt, Time, 11 Apr. 2025
Erratic exchange rates, years of institutionalized corruption under the Assad regime, and war led to the destruction or closure of thousands of businesses.
—Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2025
Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, lost hundreds of trees following the destruction from Hurricane Helene last fall, with players commenting on it ahead of the Masters starting this week.
—Fox News Staff, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Police arrest two protesters on charges of disorderly conduct and destruction of property, but nonviolence prevails, with protesters pulling peers away from a confrontation with a taxi driver.
—Steve Earley, Baltimore Sun, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for destruction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for destruction
Noun
-
On Wednesday evening, Emery returns to Paris, in the competition which ultimately caused his downfall at the Parc des Princes.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
-
But Mike's past seems to catch up to him as a kingpin cartel widow, Isabel (Kate del Castillo), and her son Armando (Jacob Scipio) begin targeting people tied to her husband's downfall, including Mike.—
Rendy Jones,
EW.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Several studies have found that polyphenols, especially tannins, can also play havoc with your iron supplement.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2025
-
The pandemic though wrought havoc on student achievement, with many learning gaps remaining nearly five years after schools first closed.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The sense of ruination experienced by the organizers of those art spaces was something familiar to Quraiqi, who wrote on his Instagram this year that Israeli forces had destroyed his studio.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Read: The mysterious, meteoric rise of Shein In the past several years, cultural awareness has grown about the reality of the fast-fashion business model, which relies on paying factory workers shockingly low wages and takes a multifaceted approach to furthering the ruination of the planet.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
O'Neill was the man behind Save Southside Speedway, a multi-year grassroots coalition that wanted to save the racetrack from demolition, Richmond Magazine reported.—
Karri Peifer,
Axios,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Wiseman said the demolition process takes time as permits are secured, asbestos and other hazards are removed, and utilities are disconnected.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
William has been regularly using his father’s lawyers Harbottle & Lewis and its partner, Gerrard Tyrrell — and made the move to Mishcon de Reya, which represented Princess Diana in her divorce from Charles a year before her accidental death.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Jury selection for Karen Read's retrial on murder and other charges in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe, resumes Thursday with just one more seat to fill.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin had an emotional meeting with a pair of dire wolves, but many fans have shared the same unimpressed response, not quite able to believe a species was brought back from extinction before Martin finished the next book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
-
As the Earth's climate cooled and the oceans' ecosystems changed, Megalodon may have struggled to find sufficient food, leading to its extinction.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The shift figured heavily in the recent financial undoing of CityPlace I. UnitedHealthcare, the tower’s marquee tenant, drastically cut its 350,000 square foot lease — nearly a third of the entire building — to just a little over 35,000 square feet, according to sources familiar with the matter.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Avocados’ dependence upon megafaunal dispersion almost led to their undoing when all of these large mammals suddenly went extinct around 12,500 years ago due to human hunting, possibly also combined with environmental or climactic effects.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
While other trees on her property remained, like the massive elm that frames her home, the loss of the oaks was heavy.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2025
-
There was a buzz around the dressing room about how crucial a win like this could be, particularly given the recent losses.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
The Athletic,
15 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Destruction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/destruction. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share