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DESTRUCTION
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("destruction" is a kind of...):
conclusion; ending; termination (the act of ending something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "destruction"):
hooliganism; malicious mischief; vandalism (willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others)
spoliation ((law) the intentional destruction of a document or an alteration of it that destroys its value as evidence)
demolition (the act of demolishing)
holocaust (an act of mass destruction and loss of life (especially in war or by fire))
extermination; liquidation (the act of exterminating)
sabotage (a deliberate act of destruction or disruption in which equipment is damaged)
neutralisation; neutralization ((euphemism) the removal of a threat by killing or destroying it (especially in a covert operation or military operation))
self-destruction (the act of destroying yourself)
decimation (destroying or killing a large part of the population (literally every tenth person as chosen by lot))
annihilation; obliteration (destruction by annihilating something)
demolishing; leveling; razing; tearing down (complete destruction of a building)
laying waste; ruin; ruination; ruining; wrecking (destruction achieved by causing something to be wrecked or ruined)
kill (the destruction of an enemy plane or ship or tank or missile)
disaster (an act that has disastrous consequences)
Derivation:
destroy (destroy completely; damage irreparably)
destroy (do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of)
Sense 2
Meaning:
An event (or the result of an event) that completely destroys something
Synonyms:
demolition; destruction; wipeout
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("destruction" is a kind of...):
conclusion; ending; finish (event whose occurrence ends something)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "destruction"):
annihilation; disintegration (total destruction)
eradication; obliteration (the complete destruction of every trace of something)
depredation; ravage ((usually plural) a destructive action)
razing; wrecking (the event of a structure being completely demolished and leveled)
ruin; ruination (an event that results in destruction)
rack; wrack (the destruction or collapse of something)
Derivation:
destroy (destroy completely; damage irreparably)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A final state
Example:
the so-called glorious experiment came to an inglorious end
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("destruction" is a kind of...):
state (the way something is with respect to its main attributes)
Context examples:
Using MoAb 81C6 as a carrier for At-211 results in the targeted imaging and/or destruction of cells expressing tenascin.
(At 211 Monoclonal Antibody 81C6, NCI Thesaurus)
If you are clever enough to bring destruction upon me, rest assured that I shall do as much to you.
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
It may be the result of decreased platelet production due to bone marrow suppression or increased rate of platelet destruction.
(Drug Induced Thrombocytopenia, NCI Thesaurus)
Cyclin E is targeted for destruction by the proteasome through ubiquitination when associated with a complex of proteins called the SCF or F box complex.
(Cyclin E Degradation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)
Germination results in lysis and destruction of surrounding viable tumor cells.
(Clostridium Novyi-NT Spores, NCI Thesaurus)
As a result, this may eventually lead to a destruction of the tumor vasculature, disruption of tumor blood flow and tumor cell necrosis.
(Combretastatin, NCI Thesaurus)
Tissue analysis showed infiltrating immune cells, such as neutrophils, and significant bone destruction.
(Diet Affects Autoinflammatory Disease Via Gut Microbes, NIH)
There are several potential mechanisms for this destruction.
(The Strange Structures of the Saturn Nebula, ESO)
Although most ameloblastomas are morphologically and clinically benign, they may cause extensive local destruction, recur, or metastasize.
(Ameloblastoma, NCI Thesaurus)
The destruction of organism cells or tissues by the organism's own enzymes or processes.
(Autolysis, NCI Thesaurus)
