destructive
Causing very bad physical damage to things.
Causing great physical damage or ruin to something.
Causing very bad results for things like relationships, plans, or feelings.
Causing serious harm or damage to non-physical things such as relationships, systems, or emotions.
Describing a person or animal who often breaks or ruins things, especially when they are upset.
Describing a person or animal that regularly damages or destroys things, especially when angry or not controlled.
Used in science and technology to describe tests or actions that change or damage something so it cannot return to its original state.
In scientific, engineering, or computing contexts, involving irreversible damage or change to the object or data being tested or processed.
- Base: destructive
destructive behavior
1behavior that seriously harms people or things
Actions that cause serious harm to people, relationships, or things, often again and again.
- The school is trying to stop destructive behavior like fighting and vandalism.
- In therapy they talked about how to replace destructive behavior with healthier habits.
- Her destructive behavior was a way to express pain she could not put into words.
destructive criticism
1criticism that only hurts, not helps
Negative comments that hurt a person or their work but do not try to help them improve.
- The manager’s harsh, destructive criticism left the team feeling demotivated.
- There is a big difference between constructive feedback and destructive criticism.
- Online discussions often turn into destructive criticism instead of useful debate.
destructive interference
1waves combining to reduce each other
In physics, when two waves meet in such a way that they cancel each other and the total effect becomes smaller.
- Noise-canceling headphones use destructive interference to reduce unwanted sounds.
- At certain points along the string, destructive interference makes the wave almost disappear.
- The dark bands on the screen are caused by destructive interference of the light waves.
non-destructive testing
1testing that does not damage the item
A way to test or check something, usually in engineering, without breaking it or changing it permanently.
- The aircraft parts are checked using non-destructive testing methods like X-ray and ultrasound.
- Non-destructive testing allows engineers to find cracks without cutting the metal open.
- Because the statue is priceless, only non-destructive testing is allowed.
self-destructive
1harming or sabotaging oneself
Behaving in a way that hurts yourself or your own life, even when you know it is bad for you.
- His drinking became self-destructive and cost him his job and his relationship.
- She has a self-destructive habit of pushing away anyone who tries to help her.
- Therapy helped him understand why he repeated the same self-destructive patterns.