- destructive
- destructive late 15c., from O.Fr. destructif (14c.), from L.L. destructivus, from destruct-, pp. stem of L. destruere (see DESTROY (Cf. destroy)).
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
destructive
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Destructive — De*struc tive, a. [L. destructivus: cf. F. destructif.] Causing destruction; tending to bring about ruin, death, or devastation; ruinous; fatal; productive of serious evil; mischievous; pernicious; often with of or to; as, intemperance is… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
destructive — [adj1] injurious, devastating annihilative, baleful, baneful, calamitous, cancerous, cataclysmic, catastrophic, consumptive, cutthroat, damaging, deadly, deleterious, detrimental, dire, disastrous, eradicative, evil, extirpative, fatal, fell,… … New thesaurus
destructive — ► ADJECTIVE 1) causing destruction. 2) negative and unhelpful: destructive criticism. DERIVATIVES destructively adverb destructiveness noun … English terms dictionary
destructive — [di struk′tiv] adj. [OFr destructif < LL destructivus] 1. tending or likely to cause destruction 2. causing or producing destruction; destroying 3. merely negative; not helpful [destructive criticism] destructively adv. destructiveness n.… … English World dictionary
Destructive — De*struc tive, n. One who destroys; a radical reformer; a destructionist. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
destructive — I adjective annihilating, baleful, damaging, destroying, detrimental, feral, harmful, injurious, internecine, malign, miasmal, miasmatic, miasmic, pernicious II index adverse (negative), bad (offens … Law dictionary
destructive — adj. VERBS ▪ be, seem ▪ become ADVERB ▪ extremely, fairly, very, etc … Collocations dictionary
destructive — /dəsˈtrʌktɪv/ (say duhs truktiv) adjective 1. tending to destroy; causing destruction: destructive of reason; destructive to the environment. 2. tending to overthrow, disprove, or discredit: destructive criticism. 3. carried on to the point of… …
destructive — ● destructif, destructive adjectif (bas latin destructivus) Se dit de ce qui détruit, a le pouvoir de détruire : L action destructive des eaux. ● destructif, destructive (difficultés) adjectif (bas latin destructivus) Emploi … Encyclopédie Universelle
destructive — adj. 1 (often foll. by to, of) destroying or tending to destroy (destructive of her peace of mind; is destructive to organisms; a destructive child). 2 negative in attitude or criticism; refuting without suggesting, helping, amending, etc. (opp.… … Useful english dictionary
