Antonyms for destroy
dɪˈstrɔɪde·stroy

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:3.0 / 11 votes

1. destroyverb

   Antonyms:
   repair, make, restore

   Synonyms:
   ruin, annihilate, waste, demolish, kill

2. destroyverb

   To cause destruction.

   Hooligans destroy unprovoked

   Antonyms:
   restore, repair, make

   Synonyms:
   annihilate, kill, waste, ruin, demolish

3. destroyverb

   To neutralize, undo a property or condition.

   Smoking destroys the natural subtlety of the palate

   Antonyms:
   restore, repair, make

   Synonyms:
   ruin, waste, annihilate, demolish, kill

4. destroyverb

   To put down or euthanize.

   Destroying a rabid dog is required by law.

   Antonyms:
   make, repair, restore

   Synonyms:
   kill, waste, ruin, demolish, annihilate

5. destroyverb

   To defeat soundly.

   Antonyms:
   restore, make, repair

   Synonyms:
   demolish, annihilate, waste, kill, ruin

6. destroyverb

   To remove data.

   The memory leak happened because we forgot to destroy the temporary lists.

   Synonyms:
   annihilate, waste, demolish, ruin, kill

   Antonyms:
   repair, restore, make

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:3.0 / 1 vote

1. destroy

   Abolish, to do away with, bring absolutely to an end, especially as something hostile, hindering, or harmful, was formerly used of persons and material objects, a usage now obsolete except in poetry or highly figurative speech. Abolish is now used of institutions, customs, and conditions, especially those wide-spread and long existing; as, to abolish slavery, ignorance, intemperance, poverty. A building that is burned to the ground is said to be destroyed by fire. Annihilate, as a philosophical term, signifies to put absolutely out of existence. As far as our knowledge goes, matter is never annihilated, but only changes its form. Some believe that the wicked will be annihilated. Abolish is not said of laws. There we use repeal, abrogate, nullify, etc.: repeal by the enacting body, nullify by revolutionary proceedings; a later statute abrogates, without formally repealing, any earlier law with which it conflicts. An appellate court may reverse or set aside the decision of an inferior court. Overthrow may be used in either a good or a bad sense; suppress is commonly in a good, subvert always in a bad sense; as, to subvert our liberties; to suppress a rebellion. The law prohibits what may never have existed; it abolishes an existing evil. We abate a nuisance, terminate a controversy. Compare CANCEL; DEMOLISH; EXTERMINATE.

   Antonyms:
   authorize, cherish, confirm, continue, enact, establish, institute, introduce, legalize, promote, reinstate, renew, repair, restore, revive, set up, support, sustain

   Synonyms:
   abate, abolish, abrogate, annihilate, annul, end, end, eradicate, exterminate, extirpate, nullify, obliterate, overthrow, prohibit, remove, repeal, reverse, revoke, set aside, stamp out, subvert, supplant, suppress, terminate

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. destroy

   Antonyms:
   restore, reinstate, repair, fabricate, make, construct, create

   Synonyms:
   demolish, annihilate, subvert, ruin, overthrow, undo, waste, consume

Matched Categories

1. • Kill

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. destroy, destructverb

   do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of

   "The fire destroyed the house"

   Synonyms:
   demolish, ruin, put down, destruct

2. destroy, ruinverb

   destroy completely; damage irreparably

   "You have ruined my car by pouring sugar in the tank!"; "The tears ruined her make-up"

   Synonyms:
   demolish, destruct, bankrupt, ruin, smash, deflower, break, put down

3. demolish, destroyverb

   defeat soundly

   "The home team demolished the visitors"

   Synonyms:
   put down, demolish, destruct, crush, ruin, pulverise, smash, pulverize

4. destroy, put downverb

   put (an animal) to death

   "The customs agents destroyed the dog that was found to be rabid"; "the sick cat had to be put down"

   Synonyms:
   bring down, enter, ruin, disgrace, record, put down, degrade, discharge, lay, drop, unload, repose, set down, land, take down, demolish, demean, drop off, get down, destruct, place down, write down

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. destroyverb

   Antonyms:
   conserve, preserve, perpetuate, spare

   Synonyms:
   annihilate, undo, demolish, raze, desolate, devour, sack, dismantle, eradicate, exterminate, ruin

Editors ContributionRate these antonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. fac

   break

   i had to destroy the tower to get ready for lunch.

   Submitted by anonymous on February 5, 2020  

2. launched

   i didn’t believe that my friend destroyed her brother’s special spaceship.

   Submitted by anonymous on April 19, 2020  

3. spawn

   the opposite of spawn

   i will destroy new york city.

   Submitted by anonymous on November 19, 2019  

4. xeriscapingverb

   process of gardening

   Submitted by ashleym0728 on March 22, 2022  

How to use destroy in a sentence?

1. Sheldon Neeley:

   You have to ask yourself,' How much is a life worth ?' from this day forward, we will destroy weapons we collect.

2. Danielle Donoho:

   Maybe intentions are the lies in the dark we tell ourselves when who we are falls short of the mark and when we destroy our neighbor we can say 'I never meant any harm.'

3. Adalto Valentim:

   I think a lot of this is conspiracy by a class that wants to destroy his name and the history that he made, i would vote for Lula again.

4. James Gray:

   I tried not to think of the people who are obsessed with Jack Fawcett on 1925, it would get me panicked that I would screw it up... If I thought about it it'd destroy me.

5. Ursula Miodowski:

   The Japanese decided to destroy Manila. They were going to give them a dead city, they set about doing that, they burned, they killed.

How to pronounce destroy?

How to say destroy in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency