devastating
adjective
dev·as·tat·ing
ˈde-və-ˌstā-tiŋ 
1
: causing great damage or harm
a devastating flood/earthquake
a devastating injury
A devastating coastal tsunami could also result from a severe displacement of the San Andreas Fault.—
Gary Sandquist
Gary Sandquist2
: causing extreme emotional pain
a devastating loss
Even the most banal domestic melodramas, readers come to understand, are experienced as devastating tragedies by children living them for the first time.—Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly3
: extremely effective or powerful
a devastating satire
He had a devastating wit and an utter contempt for shoddy work in physics.—Jeremy Bernstein
Jeremy Bernstein
devastatingly
adverb
Some people recover readily from the infection, but in others it becomes disseminated, spreading rapidly and devastatingly from lungs to bones, skin and nervous system
—Lawrence Galton
Lawrence Galton
Postcards from the Edge is a devastatingly savvy, bitingly funny, yet sad movie based on Carrie Fisher's autobiographical novel about Hollywood.
—Jeffrey Lyons
Jeffrey Lyons
… is portrayed as a devastatingly effective power broker in the Senate.
—Alan Brinkley
Alan Brinkley
Examples of devastating in a Sentence
a devastating blow to our morale
Recent Examples on the Web
Before it was fully contained, the devastating blaze went on to burn more than 14,000 acres, destroy over 10,000 structures and kill 18 people.
—Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Cantwell represents a state that has seen devastating flooding from atmospheric rivers in recent years.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
The loss of aid in those countries is already proving to be devastating.
—Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 17 June 2026
In one of the bloodiest and most devastating days of war in history, the first day of the Battle of Somme began.
—USA Today, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for devastating
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Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 18 June 2026
Cantwell represents a state that has seen devastating flooding from atmospheric rivers in recent years.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 17 June 2026
The loss of aid in those countries is already proving to be devastating.
—Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 17 June 2026
In one of the bloodiest and most devastating days of war in history, the first day of the Battle of Somme began.
—USA Today, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for devastating
Cite this Entry
“Devastating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devastating. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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