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Destructive vs Vicious - What's the difference?

destructive | vicious |

As adjectives the difference between destructive and vicious

is that destructive is causing destruction; damaging while vicious is pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity.

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

    vicious

    English

    Alternative forms

    * (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Pertaining to vice; characterised by immorality or depravity.
  • *, Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.195:
  • *:We may so seize on vertue, that if we embrace it with an over-greedy and violent desire, it may become vicious .
  • Evil, immoral or depraved.
  • Violent, destructive and cruel.
  • Savage and aggressive.
  • *

    • Synonyms

    *

    Derived terms

    * vicious circle

    Related terms

    * vice * vitiate