destructive interference

noun

When two waves meet and their crests and troughs cancel each other out, resulting in a smaller wave or no wave at all, occurring when they are out of phase (180 degrees apart), like noise-canceling headphones using opposite sound waves to create silence; the opposite of constructive interference, where waves add up to become bigger.

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Meanings

noundestructive interference (plural destructive interferences)

plural destructive interferences

  1. audioWhen two waves meet and their crests and troughs cancel each other out, resulting in a smaller wave or no wave at all, occurring when they are out of phase (180 degrees apart), like noise-canceling headphones using opposite sound waves to create silence; the opposite of constructive interference, where waves add up to become bigger.
Cite this entry
APA

destructive interference. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/destructive%20interference

MLA

“destructive interference.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/destructive%20interference. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “destructive interference,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/destructive%20interference.

Source: destructive interference on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.