The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MALEFIC
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
M
A
L
E
F
I
C
More clues leading to the result MALEFIC
- Evil man taken aback when caught
- Camel, if ill-treated, causing destruction
- File corrupted in computer — that’s pernicious
- Evil master has drink with leaders of Farc in Columbia
- Evil female in charge going after bloke
- Without notes fraudulent claim causing trouble
- Not good if camel goes crazy
- Capital if returned could start becoming bad
- Macho fellow I caught exerting bad influence
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "causing destruction" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case causing destruction = malefic.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does MALEFIC mean?
MALEFIC noun- A malefic planet
- Having an evil or harmful influence; baleful.