What's the difference between destructive and devastating?

Destructive


Definition:

  • (a.) Causing destruction; tending to bring about ruin, death, or devastation; ruinous; fatal; productive of serious evil; mischievous; pernicious; -- often with of or to; as, intemperance is destructive of health; evil examples are destructive to the morals of youth.
  • (n.) One who destroys; a radical reformer; a destructionist.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) But soon after aid workers departed, barrel bombs dropped by Syrian helicopters caused renewed destruction.
  • (2) High mortality, severe destruction of pancreatic B-cells and presence of sporadic mononuclear infiltrations in islets and around excretory ducts were observed.
  • (3) Lung metastases leading to death were observed in one patient with small-cell osteosarcoma despite complete destruction of the primary tumor by preoperative chemotherapy.
  • (4) Since alkaline phosphatase, a glycoprotein, is not affected, the destruction is selective and presumably involves only the most exposed membrane components.
  • (5) Intravenous urography revealed destruction of the right kidney resembling Wilms tumor.
  • (6) Lawmakers across the globe are beginning to recognize the need to deter this destructive conduct.
  • (7) Finally, the uptake was completely abolished by prior mechanical or osmotic destruction of the intima.
  • (8) The weapon is 13 metres long, weighs 60 tonnes and can carry nuclear warheads with up to eight times the destructive capacity of the bombs that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the second world war.
  • (9) While a clearcut relationship cannot be established between heavy metal music and destructive behavior, evidence shows that such music promotes and supports patterns of drug abuse, promiscuous sexual activity, and violence.
  • (10) Quite the contrary, in cases of higher nervous activity disturbances, destruction of the organelles and desintegration of spine apparatuses is clearly pronounced.
  • (11) Granule cell destruction began early, and was widespread by 2 days in vitro, when oligodendrocyte destruction also began in treated cultures.
  • (12) The ferrochelatase-inhibitory activity, porphyrin-inducing activity, and cytochrome P-450- and heme-destructive effects of a variety of analogues of 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro-2,4,6-trimethylpyridine (DDC) were studied in chick embryo liver cells.
  • (13) A simple technique that consists of curetting the subcutaneous tissue in the necrotic area of the lesion, to prevent the local destructive actions of the toxin, is described.
  • (14) The high proteolytic activity of BCC demonstrated in this study may be an important factor in the proliferative, invasive and destructive behaviour of this tumour.
  • (15) North Korea has produced tons of propaganda films that portray America’s destruction.
  • (16) The object of these studies was to investigate whether destruction of the renal medulla in normal rats would alter vascular capacitance.
  • (17) We simply do whatever nature needs and will work with anyone that wants to help wildlife.” His views might come as a surprise to some of the RSPB’s 1.1 million members, who would have been persuaded by its original pledge “to discourage the wanton destruction of birds”; they would equally have been a surprise to the RSPB’s detractors in the shooting world.
  • (18) The tissue destructive process is slower in older than in younger people, and the prognoses in correctly treated cases is good.
  • (19) Although these two destructive entities are completely different in many respects, they share a common denominator: the initial lesions are brought about by an aggregate of bacteria known as plaque.
  • (20) It is concluded that the massive destruction of the normal anatomy in the lateral semicircular canal may be the morphological basis of a functional endolymphatic fistula for drainage of the endolymphatic hydrops.

Devastating


Definition:

  • (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Devastate

Example Sentences:

  • (1) It appears that irrespective of the elucidation of the nature of the putative aetiological factor (presumed to be viral) in MS, the arrest and reversal of T cell-related events within the CNS in this devastating condition represent feasible goals and should remain a major target for some time to come.
  • (2) Samaras said: A "Grexit", as it is called, would be devastating for Greece and detrimental to Europe.
  • (3) While winds gusting to 170mph caused significant damage, the devastation in areas such as Tacloban – where scenes are reminiscent of the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami – was principally the work of the 6-metre-high storm surge, which carried away even the concrete buildings in which many people sought shelter.
  • (4) The Financial Services Authority is meant to be the City's watchdog but "devastating" internal documents reveal it has secretly co-ordinated high-level lobbying strategies with the industry it is supposed to police.
  • (5) The government acknowledged it had been overwhelmed by the devastation from the deadliest quake in Nepal in over 80 years.
  • (6) Mark Rasch, a cyber crime expert quoted by the FT, meanwhile said recent events have been “a serious and devastating attack to [Sony’s] reputation and image”, and his opinion is played out by a new YouGov poll into the public perception of Sony’s brand.
  • (7) "When people don't feel they have a reason to stay out of trouble, the consequences for communities can be devastating – as we saw last August," said Darra Singh, chair of the panel.
  • (8) Newcastle United are “devastated” by their relegation from the Premier League, according to the club’s managing director Lee Charnley.
  • (9) In order to reduce the devasting effects of enteric diseases among children born to mothers in tropical countries of Africa and Asia, it is imperative that all health workers understand the cultural and social perceptions of their clients towards the disease in question.
  • (10) All the personality, dignity and humanity of a person are devastated by this torture.
  • (11) Age UK believes McDonald's human rights have been breached and that there could be "extremely adverse and devastating consequences for many thousands of older people if other councils take similar decisions to save money".
  • (12) And then, as the Guardian revealed at the weekend, there is the potentially devastating effect of the boundary changes, which can’t really be brought in before an early election but will radically tilt the field by 2020.
  • (13) He said: "[That] could be devastating for the renewables industry.
  • (14) To say that the loss of BB King is devastating to the blues community is an understatement.
  • (15) 'Devastated' Peter Greste calls on Egypt's president to pardon trio Read more “It’s ironic that the conviction was for tarnishing Egypt’s reputation when ... this [case] is what’s tarnished Egypt’s image,” Clooney told BBC News.
  • (16) The report, extracts of which were published by the investigative news website Exaro , is said to include “devastating detail” of the corporation’s “sheer scale of awareness” of the late star’s activities.
  • (17) Although anterior and posterior traumatic displacement of cervical vertebrae are commonly noted, and the devastating neurological deficits associated with these injuries have been amply defined, lateral displacement with fractures has been rarely recognized, and the clinical significance of this injury has been overlooked.
  • (18) Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Met commissioner, said a report revealing the undercover officers had spied on the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence was “devastating” for Scotland Yard and “one of the worst days that I have seen as a police officer”.
  • (19) The case for halting British arms sales to Saudi Arabia has been evident, not only on moral grounds, since civilians started dying in the conflict devastating Yemen.
  • (20) Devastating neurologic complications can be avoided or alleviated in a great proportion of patients undergoing radiation therapy for cerebral metastases and spinal cord compression.