destruction
destructions
Destruction is damage so bad, things must be replaced, not fixed. Tornadoes often leave a trail of destruction, damaging neighborhoods and knocking down houses.
The Latin word destructionem, "a pulling down," is the root of destruction. When destruction strikes, things do get pulled down — from houses in the case of natural disasters or a big display of canned soups in the case of a careless shopper. Sometimes, destruction refers to death, as when critics of war talk about the resulting destruction of human life.
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an event (or the result of an event) that completely destroys something
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synonyms:
demolition, wipeout
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types:
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annihilation, disintegration
total destruction
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eradication, obliteration
the complete destruction of every trace of something
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depredation, ravage
(usually plural) a destructive action
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razing, wrecking
the event of a structure being completely demolished and leveled
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ruin, ruination
an event that results in destruction
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rack, wrack
the destruction or collapse of something
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extermination, extinction
complete annihilation
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desolation, devastation
an event that results in total destruction
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shipwreck
an irretrievable loss
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type of:
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conclusion, ending, finish
event whose occurrence ends something
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the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
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synonyms:
devastation
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types:
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disaster
an act that has disastrous consequences
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kill
the destruction of an enemy plane or ship or tank or missile
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laying waste, ruin, ruination, ruining, wrecking
destruction achieved by causing something to be wrecked or ruined
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demolishing, leveling, razing, tearing down
complete destruction of a building
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annihilation, obliteration
destruction by annihilating something
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decimation
the destruction or killing of a large part of the population (literally every tenth person as chosen by lot)
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self-destruction
the act of destroying yourself
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neutralisation, neutralization
(euphemism) the removal of a threat by killing or destroying it (especially in a covert operation or military operation)
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sabotage
a deliberate act of destruction or disruption in which equipment is damaged
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extermination, liquidation
the act of exterminating
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holocaust
an act of mass destruction and loss of life (especially in war or by fire)
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demolition
the act of demolishing
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spoliation
(law) the intentional destruction of a document or an alteration of it that destroys its value as evidence
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hooliganism, malicious mischief, vandalism
willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others
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atomisation, atomization
annihilation by reducing something to atoms
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pulverisation, pulverization
annihilation by pulverizing something
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vaporisation, vaporization
annihilation by vaporizing something
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bombing
the use of bombs for sabotage; a tactic frequently used by terrorists
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type of:
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conclusion, ending, termination
the act of ending something
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a final state
Vocabulary lists containing destruction
Although he is suffering from amnesia, Jason must embark on a quest with his friends Piper and Leo to rescue the goddess Hera.
Board the Nautilus and travel under the sea with the mysterious Captain Nemo as you learn these words from the science fiction novel by Jules Verne. Read the full text, translated from the original French by F.P. Walter, here.
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