destruction

Roget category 162

1. Words expressing abstract relations
› 1.8. Causation
›› 1.8.3. Power in operation

#162. [Nonproduction.] Destruction

noun

destruction — waste, dissolution, breaking up — diruption^†, disruption — consumption — disorganization.
fall, downfall, devastation, ruin, perdition, crash — eboulement [Fr.], smash, havoc, delabrement [Fr.], debacle — break down, break up, fall apart — prostration — desolation, bouleversement [Fr.], wreck, wrack, shipwreck, cataclysm — washout.
extinction, annihilation — destruction of life etc. 361 — knock-down blow — doom, crack of doom.
destroying etc. v. — demolition, demolishment — overthrow, subversion, suppression — abolition etc. (abrogation) 756 — biblioclasm^† — sacrifice — ravage, razzia^† — inactivation — incendiarism — revolution etc. 146 — extirpation etc. (extraction) 301 — beginning of the end, commencement de la fin [Fr.], road to ruin — dilapidation etc. (deterioration) 659 — sabotage.

verb

be destroyed &c. — perish — fall to the ground — tumble, topple — go to pieces, fall to pieces — break up — crumble to dust — go to the dogs, go to the wall, go to smash, go to shivers, go to wreck, go to pot, go to wrack and ruin — go by the board, go all to smash — be all over, be all up, be all with — totter to its fall.
destroy — do away with, make away with — nullify — annual etc. 756 — sacrifice, demolish — tear up — overturn, overthrow, overwhelm — upset, subvert, put an end to — seal the doom of, do in, do for, dish [Slang], undo — break up, cut up — break down, cut down, pull down, mow down, blow down, beat down — suppress, quash, put down, do a job on — cut short, take off, blot out — dispel, dissipate, dissolve — consume.
smash, crash, quell, squash, squelch, crumple up, shatter, shiver — batter to pieces, tear to pieces, crush to pieces, cut to pieces, shake to pieces, pull to pieces, pick to pieces — laniate^† — nip — tear to rags, tear to tatters — crush to atoms, knock to atoms — ruin — strike out — throw over, knock down over — fell, sink, swamp, scuttle, wreck, shipwreck, engulf, ingulf^†, submerge — lay in ashes, lay in ruins — sweep away, erase, wipe out, expunge, raze — level with the dust, level with the ground — waste — atomize, vaporize.
deal destruction, desolate, devastate, lay waste, ravage gut — disorganize — dismantle etc. (render useless) 645 — devour, swallow up, sap, mine, blast, bomb, blow to smithereens, drop the big one, confound — exterminate, extinguish, quench, annihilate — snuff out, put out, stamp out, trample out — lay in the dust, trample in the dust — prostrate — tread under foot — crush under foot, trample under foot — lay the ax to the root of — make short work of, make clean sweep of, make mincemeat of — cut up root and branch, chop into pieces, cut into ribbons — fling to the winds, scatter to the winds — throw overboard — strike at the root of, sap the foundations of, spring a mine, blow up, ravage with fire and sword — cast to the dogs — eradicate etc. 301.

adjective

destroyed etc. v. — perishing etc. v. — trembling to its fall, nodding to its fall, tottering to its fall — in course of destruction etc. n. — extinct.
all-destroying, all-devouring, all-engulfing.
destructive, subversive, ruinous, devastating — incendiary, deletory^† — destroying etc. n.. suicidal — deadly etc. (killing) 361.

adverb

with crushing effect, with a sledge hammer.

phrase

delenda est Carthago [Lat.] — dum Roma deliberat Saguntum perit [Lat.] — ecrasez l'infame [Voltaire].

The content on this page comes straight from Project Gutenberg Etext of Roget's Thesaurus No. Two, which consists of the acclaimed work by Peter Mark Roget augmented with more recent material. Some changes were made to the formatting for improved readability.

Bold numbers signify related Roget categories. A dagger symbol (†) indicates archaic words and expressions no longer in common use.

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