Basic Details
Word: Indestructible
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: So strong that it cannot be destroyed or broken.
Synonyms: unbreakable, durable, everlasting, sturdy
Antonyms: fragile, breakable, delicate
How to Spell Indestructible
Syllables: in - de - struc - ti - ble
Tricky part: The second syllable is de, not di, and the ending is ible, not able. Indistructible and indestructable are both wrong.
Watch out for: indistructible, indestructable, indestrucktible
Memory tip: It is in + destruct + ible. Destroy, destruction and indestructible all begin their main part with de.
Usage Examples
Example 1: My grandfather's old Ambassador car seemed indestructible.
Example 2: The fort's walls looked indestructible, but the river slowly wore them away.
Example 3: Some plastics are nearly indestructible, which is why they pile up in landfills.
Fun Fact
Tardigrades, tiny water animals less than a millimetre long, are sometimes called almost indestructible. They have survived being frozen, dried out and even carried into space on a satellite.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
ind_str_ct_ble
a) i, u, i
b) e, u, i
c) e, u, a
d) i, o, a
Show answer
b) e, u, i. Destruct gives e and u, and the last blank is the i of ible.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The old steel trunk in our attic still looks rtseucintbdlie after sixty years of use.
a) indescribable
b) indestructible
c) indisputable
d) destructive
Show answer
b) indestructible. The letters include s, t, r, u, c and t, the heart of destruct, so only indestructible fits.
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to indestructible as used in the sentence:
The toy company claimed its new plastic bricks were indestructible, but my brother broke one within a day.
a) sturdy
b) fragile
c) durable
d) unbreakable
Show answer
b) fragile. Indestructible means it can never break; fragile means it breaks easily.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these comes closest to being indestructible?
a) A dry leaf
b) A soap bubble
c) A sandcastle
d) A diamond
Show answer
d) A diamond
2. In indestructible, what does the prefix in add to the meaning?
a) very
b) not
c) before
d) again
Show answer
b) not
