Meaning & use
nondestructive
Last updated
Not causing damage or destruction, especially describing testing or editing methods that leave the original material or data intact.
See it in a sentence
Engineers used nondestructive testing to check the bridge's welds without cutting into them.
The photo editor applies nondestructive filters so the original image file is never altered.
A note on using this word
Widely used in engineering (nondestructive testing, or NDT) and in software, where it describes edits that can always be undone.
Words with a similar meaning
non-damaging
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Words with an opposite meaning
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