destrucción
/destɾuɡˈθjon/
The English word destruction is destrucción in Spanish. Wiktionary also lists escante and excidio.
Meaning: act of destroying (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| destrucción | /destɾuɡˈθjon/ /destɾuɡˈsjon/ |
|
| escante | /eskante/ (from spelling rules) | Puerto Rico, masculine |
| excidio | /eɡsθidjo/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /eɡssidjo/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine |
destrucción is a noun meaning the act of destroying. If you need to refer to a person or thing that destroys, use the masculine noun destructor or use the verb destruir to express the action of destroying.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Puerto Rico, the masculine form escante is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun destrucción is feminine, so it is preceded by feminine articles such as la or una.
How do you pronounce it?
/destɾuɡˈθjon/
Did you know?
- In some colloquial contexts, the verb destruir can be used as a slang term to mean someone has completely exhausted themselves or failed miserably at a task.
- While destrucción is the standard term, the archaic or highly literary term excidio exists as a synonym for total destruction or a massacre.
- The English word 'destructor' has a direct cognate in Spanish, which is destructor, but in Spanish it often refers specifically to a type of heavy-duty machine or a military vessel.
Examples in context
- Una guerra nuclear traerá la destrucción de la humanidad.A nuclear war will bring about the destruction of mankind.This sentence shows how destrucción is used regarding a nuclear war.Tatoeba #1237469 by marcelostockle, translation #21727 by CM
- La guerra se reduce a una destrucción violenta y sin sentido.War results only in senseless and violent destruction.This sentence illustrates the use of destrucción in the context of war.Tatoeba #489074 by Shishir, translation #273304 by voxbubnya
- La última misión de Zen es salvar la Tierra de la destrucción ecológica de las manos del lunático hombre destructor de plantas.Zen's latest mission is to save the Earth from ecological destruction at the hands of a plant-destroying madman.This sentence demonstrates the use of destrucción in relation to ecological damage.Tatoeba #1169384 by marcelostockle, translation #51268 by papabear
- El terremoto causó una gran destrucción en el pueblo.The earthquake caused significant destruction in the town.
- La guerra trajo consigo la ruina del país.The war brought about the destruction of the country.
- El incendio dejó una estela de devastación a su paso.The fire left a trail of devastation in its wake.
- Ese huracán causó muchos destrozos en el área costera.That hurricane caused a lot of destruction on the coastal area.
- La guerra trajo consigo la destrucción de ciudades enteras.The war brought about the destruction of entire cities.
- El sismo causó una devastación sin precedentes en la región.The earthquake caused unprecedented devastation in the region.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are looking at news reports about a recent storm.
- AlejandroMira la destrucción que causó el huracán.Look at the destruction the hurricane caused.
- LucíaEs terrible ver tanta destrucción en las noticias.It is terrible to see so much destruction in the news.
- AlejandroLucía, las imágenes de la destrucción son muy fuertes.Lucía, the images of the destruction are very strong.
- LucíaSí, Alejandro, es un panorama muy triste.Yes, Alejandro, it is a very sad scene.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “destruction” translations and entries destrucción, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
