What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Destructive vs Damaging - What's the difference?

destructive | damaging |

As adjectives the difference between destructive and damaging

is that destructive is causing destruction; damaging while damaging is harmful; injurious; causing damage.

As a verb damaging is

present participle of lang=en.

destructive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Causing destruction; damaging.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2013 , date=February 14 , author=Scott Tobias , title=Film: Reviews: A Good Day To Die Hard , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=After rescuing his estranged daughter in the last film, Live Free Or Die Hard, Willis heads to Russia to rescue his estranged son (Jai Courtney), a CIA agent on a mission to protect a whistleblower (Sebastian Koch) from a corrupt government official (Sergei Kolesnikov) with no shortage of destructive resources at his disposal.}}
  • Causing breakdown or disassembly.
    • Catabolism is a destructive metabolism which involves the break down of molecules and release of energy.

    Synonyms

    * calamitous * catastrophic * devastating * disastrous * eradicative * harmful * pernicious * ruinous * wrackful * wreckful

    Antonyms

    * constructive * nondestructive * productive

    Related terms

    * destruct * destruction * destructively * destructiveness * destructivity

    damaging

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Harmful; injurious; causing damage.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author= Mark Tran
    • , volume=189, issue=6, page=1, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Denied an education by war , passage=One particularly damaging , but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Verb

    (head)