Destroyed: meaning, definitions and examples

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destroyed

 

[ dɪˈstrɔɪd ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

past tense

The word 'destroyed' is the past tense of 'destroy', meaning to ruin something completely or to cause it to cease to exist. It implies a thorough level of damage or devastation that leaves nothing intact.

Synonyms

demolished, devastated, obliterated, ruined

Examples of usage

  • The city was destroyed by the earthquake.
  • All evidence of the ancient civilization was destroyed.
  • The factory was destroyed in the fire.
  • Her hopes were destroyed after the bad news.

Translations

Translations of the word "destroyed" in other languages:

🇵🇹 destruído

🇮🇳 नष्ट किया गया

🇩🇪 zerstört

🇮🇩 hancur

🇺🇦 зруйнований

🇵🇱 zniszczony

🇯🇵 破壊された

🇫🇷 détruit

🇪🇸 destruido

🇹🇷 yıkılmış

🇰🇷 파괴된

🇸🇦 مدمر

🇨🇿 zničený

🇸🇰 zničený

🇨🇳 被摧毁的

🇸🇮 uničen

🇮🇸 eytt

🇰🇿 бұзылған

🇬🇪 განადგურებული

🇦🇿 məhv edilmiş

🇲🇽 destruido

Etymology

The word 'destroy' comes from the Latin word 'destruere', which means 'to tear down'. This Latin root is composed of the prefix 'de-', meaning 'down' or 'away', and 'struere', meaning 'to build'. Initially, the usage of the term revolved around the idea of dismantling or deconstructing something. As the word evolved through Old French as 'destruire', it carried a stronger connotation of annihilation or total loss. The transition to the English form 'destroy' solidified its meaning in the context of causing complete ruin or obliteration, both physical and metaphorical. The past tense form 'destroyed' has been in use since the 15th century and continues to be widely applied in various contexts, from literature to everyday conversation.

Word Frequency Rank

At position #2,193, this word belongs to solid intermediate vocabulary. It's frequently used in both casual and formal contexts and is worth learning for better fluency.