The word "毁灭性" is formed by first combining the characters 毁 (huǐ), meaning "to destroy", and 灭 (miè), meaning "to extinguish", into the compound "毁灭", which conveys the concept of destruction or devastation. This compound then has the suffix 性 (xìng) appended, which functions to indicate a quality or nature, thereby transforming it into an adjective meaning "destructive" or "devastating", as seen in terms like "毁灭性的" (destructive).