destruction

/dis'trʌkʃn/

Thân thiện

The tornado caused widespread destruction across the farmland.

Definition

Noun 1. The act or process of causing such severe damage to something that it is completely ruined or no longer exists. - This refers to the action or event of destroying something. 2. A state of being completely ruined or demolished. - This refers to the resulting condition after something has been destroyed. 3. A cause or agent of ruin or death. - This is a more formal or literary use, referring to something that causes destruction.

Usage and Examples

• The hurricane left a trail of destruction along the coast. (Refers to the state of ruin.)
• The destruction of the old bridge was necessary to build a new one. (Refers to the act of destroying.)
• War brings not only death but also the destruction of cities and cultural heritage. (Refers to the process and result.)
• In the myth, the dragon was an agent of destruction. (Refers to a cause of ruin.)

Advanced Usage

• "to meet one's destruction": To be killed or to come to an end.
  • The reckless driver finally met his destruction on a sharp curve.
• "weapons of mass destruction (WMD)": A fixed political and military term for nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons capable of causing widespread death and damage.
• "creative destruction": An economic theory where innovation destroys old industries or methods while creating new ones.

Variants and Related Words

• Destroy (verb): To cause destruction.
  • The fire destroyed the building.
• Destructive (adjective): Causing great damage.
  • The storm was highly destructive.
• Indestructible (adjective): Impossible to destroy.
  • They claimed the material was nearly indestructible.

Synonyms

• Demolition: The act of knocking something down, especially a building. (More specific.)
• Annihilation: Complete destruction, often implying nothing remains. (Stronger.)
• Devastation: Widespread, severe destruction causing great shock or grief. (Emphasizes the desolate result.)
• Ruin: The physical remains of something destroyed or a state of complete loss. (Often used for buildings or fortunes.)

Idioms and Phrases

• "A recipe for destruction": A course of action that is certain to lead to ruin or failure.
  • Ignoring the safety warnings is a recipe for destruction.
• "On a path of destruction": Behaving in a way that causes serious harm or damage to oneself or others.
  • After losing his job, he was on a path of destruction, drinking heavily and getting into fights.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a final state
   • he came to a bad end
   • the so-called glorious experiment came to an inglorious end
2. an event (or the result of an event) that completely destroys something
3. the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists

Từ đồng nghĩa

• end
• death
• demolition
• wipeout
• devastation