| atomic age |
(often cap.) the period in history characterized by the development and use of atomic energy in the generation of electrical power and for immensely destructive weapons. |
| atomic bomb |
an extremely destructive weapon, the explosive power of which derives from the immense amount of energy suddenly released when the nuclei of uranium 235 or plutonium atoms are split; atom bomb. |
| bash |
a destructive or crushing blow. [1/4 definitions] |
| berserk |
violently enraged; wildly destructive. [1/2 definitions] |
| bomb |
a metal shell filled with explosives that is dropped, thrown, or otherwise directed at a certain target for destructive purposes. [1/8 definitions] |
| cancer |
any destructive force or thing that spreads slowly. [1/5 definitions] |
| chinch bug |
a small black and white insect that is destructive to grains and grasses. |
| civilize |
to bring to an educated or refined condition; cause impulsive or destructive behavior to be voluntarily restrained. |
| civilized |
educated or refined; not impulsive or destructive; socialized or civil. |
| cockchafer |
any of several large European scarab beetles that are esp. destructive of forest trees. |
| corn borer |
a moth larva that is highly destructive to corn and other plants. |
| crash1 |
a destructive impact or collision, as of one or more vehicles. [1/17 definitions] |
| crisis |
an unstable or uncertain situation that has potential to bring about dramatic, possibly destructive, changes. [1/2 definitions] |
| cyclone |
a large system of winds that rotates around a center of low barometric pressure, moving counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern, and usu. producing destructive storms. (Cf. anticyclone.) [1/2 definitions] |
| derecho |
a severe and destructive weather event in which an expansive windstorm moves rapidly across a large area in a relatively straight line, generally accompanied by intense thunderstorms. |
| destroy |
to be destructive; harm or ruin. [1/5 definitions] |
| El Niņo |
an unusually warm Pacific Ocean current that develops near the International Date Line in the center of the ocean and flows east toward Peru and then south along the coast of South America. El Niņo events, which occur every two to seven years approximately, are associated with various negative impacts including damage to the livelihoods of those dependent on fishing and disturbance to regional and global weather patterns, which in turn can increase the incidence of disease and the frequency of destructive weather events. |
| evil |
causing destructive effects. [2/7 definitions] |
| fell3 |
destructive or fatal. [1/2 definitions] |
| fire |
an instance of destructive burning. [1/14 definitions] |
| force of nature |
a hurricane, an earthquake, or other such powerful natural event, esp. one that is highly destructive, usu. generated by atmospheric or lithospheric conditions. [1/3 definitions] |