The earthquake destroyed the ancient temple, leaving only scattered stones for archaeologists to study.
地震毁坏了古庙，只留下散落的石头供考古学家研究。
- The fire destroyed roughly 13,200 houses and 87 churches over four days.
From a Rhetorical Synthesis question · Expression of Ideas
Which choice best defines “destroyed”?
C — Ruined or damaged completely. “destroyed” means ruined or damaged completely.
Which word means “ruined or damaged completely”?
A — destroyed. “destroyed” means ruined or damaged completely.
destroyed — ruined or damaged completely. In Chinese: 被毁坏的.
destroyed is pronounced /dɪˈstrɔɪd/.
The earthquake destroyed the ancient temple, leaving only scattered stones for archaeologists to study. (地震毁坏了古庙，只留下散落的石头供考古学家研究。)
ruined, devastated, demolished — all close in meaning to destroyed (ruined or damaged completely).
preserved, intact — each the opposite of destroyed (ruined or damaged completely).
Yes. destroyed is on the SAT Prep Basic list — the everyday academic words the SAT assumes you already have. The Digital SAT does not test vocabulary in isolation; words like this one are tested through Words in Context questions, where you choose the word that completes a passage most logically and precisely.