destruction
Complete and utter devastation
Destruction is the act of destroying something or the state of being destroyed—the complete ruin or annihilation of a thing.
Buildings face destruction in war or natural disaster.
A scandal can mean the destruction of someone's reputation.
The word implies thoroughness: what's destroyed no longer functions or exists in its former state.
The hurricane left a path of destruction across the coast.
Severe widespread destruction
- desolationState of complete emptiness
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- dilapidationState of ruin
disrepair · shambles · remnants · remains · rubble · dereliction · abandonment · collapse
Destroying completely
- razingComplete structural demolition
- teardownDeliberate structure removal
- implosionViolent collapse inward
- dismantlingTaking apart systematically
bulldozing · leveling · toppling · dynamiting · detonation · controlled explosion · wrecking ball · bulldozer
Willful property damage
- wreckingDestroying completely
- subversionUndermining established authority
- underminingWeakening by covert means
- disruptionForceful interruption of process
damage · defacement · tampering · disabling · impairment · treachery · graffiti · arson
Sudden ruinous event
- calamitySevere misfortune or disaster
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- cataclysmViolent, large-scale disaster
- tsunamiSeismic sea surge
earthquake · hurricane · tornado · flood · volcanic eruption · wildfire · inferno · avalanche
State following loss
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- mourningPeriod following loss
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- heartbreakCrushing emotional pain
deprivation · dispossession · book burning · iconoclasm · genocide · ethnic cleansing · species extinction · biodiversity loss
Total elimination of something
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- exterminationComplete destruction of a group
- eliminationAct of removing entirely
- obliterationTotal destruction or erasure
wiping out · erasure · effacement · expunging · extirpation · nullification · abolition · vanquishing
Process of declining quality
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- rotOrganic breakdown process
- corrosionChemical wearing away
- disintegrationProcess of breaking apart
erosion · withering · atrophy · degradation · crumbling · rusting · oxidation · putrefaction
devastation
Severe widespread destruction
- desolationState of complete emptiness
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
dilapidation · disrepair · shambles · remnants · remains · rubble · dereliction · abandonment · collapse · downfall
wrecking
Destroying completely
- razingComplete structural demolition
- teardownDeliberate structure removal
- implosionViolent collapse inward
dismantling · bulldozing · leveling · toppling · dynamiting · detonation · controlled explosion · wrecking ball · bulldozer · jackhammer
vandalism
Willful property damage
- wreckingDestroying completely
- subversionUndermining established authority
- underminingWeakening by covert means
disruption · damage · defacement · tampering · disabling · impairment · treachery · graffiti · arson · hooliganism
disaster
Sudden ruinous event
- calamitySevere misfortune or disaster
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- cataclysmViolent, large-scale disaster
tsunami · earthquake · hurricane · tornado · flood · volcanic eruption · wildfire · inferno · avalanche · typhoon
bereavement
State following loss
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
- mourningPeriod following loss
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
heartbreak · deprivation · dispossession · book burning · iconoclasm · genocide · ethnic cleansing · species extinction · biodiversity loss · deforestation
eradication
Total elimination of something
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- exterminationComplete destruction of a group
- eliminationAct of removing entirely
obliteration · wiping out · erasure · effacement · expunging · extirpation · nullification · abolition · vanquishing · purging
deterioration
Process of declining quality
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- rotOrganic breakdown process
- corrosionChemical wearing away
disintegration · erosion · withering · atrophy · degradation · crumbling · rusting · oxidation · putrefaction · spoilage
- -tion wordscreation, formation, production, organization, administration
- disastersdisaster, earthquake, earthquakes, catastrophe, floods
- Alien Invasionflying saucers, death rays, tripods, ray guns, war machines
- dangersdanger, peril, hazard, risk, menace
- desolationbleakness, barrenness, emptiness, wasteland, desolation
- destructiondemolishing, devastation, ruination, obliteration, annihilation
destructioncreation
Making something exist
construction · building · formation · production · generation
destructionpreservation
Maintaining something's condition
conservation · protection · saving · safeguarding · maintenance
destructionrestoration
Returning something to condition
reconstruction · rebuilding · repair · renovation · renewal
- total destructionComplete and utter ruin
- mass destructionLarge-scale total ruin
- path of destructionRoute marked by ruin
- weapons of mass destructionArms causing widespread casualties
- self-destructive behavior
- habitat destructionEliminating natural living spaces
destructive, indestructible, destructively, destructiveness, destructible, self-destruction, destructions, nondestructive, indestructibly