Dictionary

destruction en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /dəsˈtɹʌkʃən/ weak vowel merger
• /dɪsˈtɹʌkʃən/ weak vowel distinction
• [dɪsˈtɹ̝̊ʷʌkʃən] ~ [dɪsˈtɹ̝̊ʷʌkʃn̩] weak vowel distinction
• [dɪsˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷʌkʃən] ~ [dɪsˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷʌkʃn̩] weak vowel distinction
• [dəsˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷʌkʃən] ~ [dəsˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷʌkʃn̩] weak vowel merger
• (US) audio
• [dəsˈtɹ̝̊ʷʌkʃən] ~ [dəsˈtɹ̝̊ʷʌkʃn̩] weak vowel merger

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English destruccioun, from Old French destrucion, from Latin dēstructiō, dēstructiōnem.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The act of destroying.
   • About 1500 B.C., however, a powerful earthquake caused widespread destruction, and thereafter there were major changes. An earlier script, undeciphered, but known as Linear A, was replaced by the Greek Linear B. 1988, Joseph Tainter, “Introduction to collapse”, in The Collapse of Complex Societies, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 9:
   • The destruction of the condemned building will take place at noon.
   • It may be that a free society as we have known it carries in itself the forces of its own destruction, that once freedom has been achieved it is taken for granted and ceases to be valued, and that the free growth of ideas which is the essence of a free society will bring about the destruction of the foundations on which it depends. 1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, pages 431-432:
2. (countable, uncountable) The results of a destructive event.
   • Amid the seemingly endless destruction, a single flower bloomed.
   • If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide. 1838 January 27, Abraham Lincoln, The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions (Lyceum Address), Springfield, Illinois; published in Marion Mills Miller, editor, Life and Works of Abraham Lincoln, volume 3, New York: Current Literature Publishing Co., 1907, page 15:
3. (collective, countable, uncountable) A group of feral cats.
   • A group of wild cats is called a destruction. 2019 June 6, “A gaggle, a confusion and a conspiracy - bizarre animal collective group names”, in BBC, archived from the original on 27 Jan 2022:

Forms

Antonyms

creation · recovery · construction · making · production · building · rebuilding

Deriveds

creative destruction · nondestruction · destruction permit · weapon of mass destruction · mutual assured destruction · mass destruction · mutually assured destruction · cytodestruction · pandestruction · phosphodestruction · destructionist · megadestruction · autodestruction · destructionism · angiodestruction · neurodestruction · thermodestruction · demand destruction · cyclodestruction · destructional · macrodestruction · photodestruction

Hyponyms

self-destruction

Relateds

killing · destroy · devastation · disaster

Synonyms

wiping out · annihilation · razing · destruction · obliteration · extirpation · eradication · extinguishment · extermination · uprooting · elimination · demolition

Translations (184)

ru уничтоже́ние (act of destroying) · gd creach (results of a destructive event) · cmn 毀滅 /毁灭 (results of a destructive event) · gd milleadh (act of destroying) · sv ödeläggelse (results of a destructive event) · pl zniszczenie (act of destroying) · is eyðilegging (results of a destructive event) · tr harap etme (act of destroying) · de Zerstörung (results of a destructive event) · th การทำลาย (act of destroying) · pl niszczenie (results of a destructive event) · kk талқандау (act of destroying) · sa विनाश (act of destroying) · mi takakino (act of destroying) · sa भङ्ग (act of destroying) · mi whakamōtītanga (act of destroying) · ml നശിപ്പിക്കൽ (act of destroying) · hi ध्वंस (act of destroying) · cmn 破壞 /破坏 (act of destroying) · kk жою (act of destroying) · cmn 破壞 /破坏 (results of a destructive event) · el χαλασμός (act of destroying) · mk уништување (act of destroying) · mi orotā (act of destroying) · got 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌻𐌿𐍃𐍄𐍃 (act of destroying) · enm destruccioun (results of a destructive event) · sq shkatërrim (act of destroying) · el συντριβή (act of destroying) · ro distrugere (act of destroying) · fi hävitys (results of a destructive event) · sw uharibifu (act of destroying) · mi whakamōtī (act of destroying) · he חֻרְבָּן (act of destroying) · ga argain (act of destroying) · ga loitiméireacht (act of destroying) · enm destruccioun (act of destroying) · sa विघटन (act of destroying) · gl destrución (results of a destructive event) · ru разруше́ния (results of a destructive event) · cs zničení (act of destroying) · txb nautalñe (results of a destructive event) · es destrucción (results of a destructive event) · uk руйнува́ння (results of a destructive event) · grc λοιγός (act of destroying) · be разбурэ́нне (act of destroying) · sa विभङ्ग (act of destroying) · ca destrucció (results of a destructive event) · es escante (results of a destructive event) · sa विध्वंश (act of destroying) · el καταστροφή (results of a destructive event) · tr tahribat (results of a destructive event) · pl destrukcja (results of a destructive event) · fi hävitys (act of destroying) · sv förstörelse (act of destroying) · pi atipāta (act of destroying) · fi tuho (results of a destructive event) · cs zmar (act of destroying) · cmn 毀滅 /毁灭 (act of destroying) · ja 湮滅 (act of destroying) · ckb ناھێشتن (act of destroying) · de Zerstörung (act of destroying) · pt destruição (results of a destructive event) · gd milleadh (results of a destructive event) · nl vernietiging (act of destroying) · ckb وێرانی (act of destroying) · oc destruccion (act of destroying) · be знішчэ́нне (act of destroying) · ja 潰滅 (results of a destructive event) · es escante (act of destroying) · be руйнава́нне (results of a destructive event) · it distruzione (results of a destructive event) · sw ubomoaji (act of destroying) · ja 滅亡 (results of a destructive event) · ur تباہی (results of a destructive event) · de Vernichtung (act of destroying) · sa नाश (results of a destructive event) · mi turakanga (act of destroying) · ja 破壊 (act of destroying) · hi नाश (act of destroying) · ar هَدْم (act of destroying) · kk қиратылу (results of a destructive event) · fa تخریب (act of destroying) · mi anea (act of destroying) · dsb wopusćenje (act of destroying) · txb nkelñe (act of destroying) · ar تَلَف (act of destroying) · be руйнава́нне (act of destroying) · got 𐌵𐌹𐍃𐍄𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (act of destroying) · eo detruo (results of a destructive event) · es excidio (act of destroying) · hi विनाश (results of a destructive event) · ru разруше́ние (act of destroying) · sl uničenje (act of destroying) · ml സംഹാരം (act of destroying) · el κατάλυση (act of destroying) · tr izmihlal (act of destroying) · el αφανισμός (act of destroying) · sh униште́ње (act of destroying) · sk zničenie (act of destroying) · ang spild (act of destroying) · ha ɓarna (act of destroying) · sv ödeläggelse (act of destroying) · lo ການທຳລາຍ (act of destroying) · gl destrución (act of destroying) · ml നാശം (results of a destructive event) · tg тахриб (act of destroying) · fi tuhoaminen (act of destroying) · el καταστροφή (act of destroying) · uk руйнува́ння (act of destroying) · sw maangamizi (act of destroying) · sv förstörelse (results of a destructive event) · he הרס (act of destroying) · la clādes (act of destroying) · fr destruction (act of destroying) · cs destrukce (act of destroying) · hi विनाश (act of destroying) · eo detruo (act of destroying) · sa संहार (act of destroying) · cs zkáza (results of a destructive event) · bg разруше́ние (act of destroying) · ga urbhaidh (act of destroying) · ko 멸망 (act of destroying) · grc ἀπώλεια (act of destroying) · fi hävittäminen (act of destroying) · cu пагоуба (act of destroying) · pl destrukcja (act of destroying) · cy aball (act of destroying) · sa नाश (act of destroying) · sa निधन (act of destroying) · tr harabiyet (results of a destructive event) · it distruzione (act of destroying) · sh uništénje (act of destroying) · ur تباہی (act of destroying) · la exitium (act of destroying) · ja 破棄 (act of destroying) · mr नाश (act of destroying) · bg унищоже́ние (act of destroying) · mi ngaromanga (act of destroying) · tr yıkma (act of destroying) · mr विनाश (act of destroying) · mr विनाश (results of a destructive event) · ko 파괴 (act of destroying) · mi whakamōtītanga (results of a destructive event) · pt destruição (act of destroying) · mi aneatanga (act of destroying) · mi urupatu (act of destroying) · ota افنا (act of destroying) · he הריסה (act of destroying) · tr tahribat (act of destroying) · pl zniszczenie (results of a destructive event) · kk жойылу (results of a destructive event) · dsb pótopjenje (act of destroying) · ka განადგურება (act of destroying) · he הַשְׁמָדָה (act of destroying) · tr yok etme (act of destroying) · grc ὄλεθρος (act of destroying) · yi אומקום (act of destroying) · ca destrucció (act of destroying) · ro distrugere (results of a destructive event) · la destructio (act of destroying) · es destrucción (act of destroying) · eo detruado (results of a destructive event) · ar تَدْمِير (act of destroying) · da ødelæggelse (act of destroying) · kk ойран (act of destroying) · el κατεδάφιση (act of destroying) · sa ध्वंस (act of destroying) · pl niszczenie (act of destroying) · ja 倒壊 (results of a destructive event) · nb ødeleggelse (act of destroying) · mi kore (act of destroying) · uk зни́щення (act of destroying) · uga 𐎕𐎎𐎚 (act of destroying) · mi whakangaromanga (act of destroying) · ga líomhadh (act of destroying) · scn distruzziuni (act of destroying) · hi विध्वंस (act of destroying) · bg разрушение (results of a destructive event) · mr नाश (results of a destructive event) · is eyðilegging (act of destroying) · tr yıkım (results of a destructive event) · kk талқандалу (results of a destructive event) · ga eirleach (act of destroying) · ka დანგრევა (act of destroying)