as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the sheer devastation of the housing development by the forest fire
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Recent Examples of devastation
Williams views Leap Life—named after his leap-year birthday—as an attempt to commune with the dead, particularly in light of the ongoing devastation in Palestine, Sudan, Haiti, Congo, and Yemen.
—
Alex Suskind, Pitchfork, 17 June 2026
Hanuse uses footage of the smallpox survivors in the film that is over 100 years old, underscoring the devastation but also their strength.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 17 June 2026
Fifty years later, an energy corporation announces plans to build a plant in that area, threatening ecological devastation.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Most of Gaza’s 2 million residents remain displaced amid devastation and severe shortages, as new Israeli strikes on crowded areas kill children and other civilians Israel labels militant targets.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026
Public emergency shelters took in more than 86,000 people, even as many people were still traumatized and recovering from Charley’s devastation.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026
Nothing can prepare you for the weight of devastation.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 14 June 2026
If war happens across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan is going to face serious devastation.
—Scott Tong, NPR, 11 June 2026
Pop says the devastation of Iran accounts for the impression Satrapi first made on him.
—Joobin Bekhrad, Time, 10 June 2026
Alex Suskind, Pitchfork, 17 June 2026
Hanuse uses footage of the smallpox survivors in the film that is over 100 years old, underscoring the devastation but also their strength.
—Carole Horst, Variety, 17 June 2026
Fifty years later, an energy corporation announces plans to build a plant in that area, threatening ecological devastation.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Most of Gaza’s 2 million residents remain displaced amid devastation and severe shortages, as new Israeli strikes on crowded areas kill children and other civilians Israel labels militant targets.
—Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026
Public emergency shelters took in more than 86,000 people, even as many people were still traumatized and recovering from Charley’s devastation.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2026
Nothing can prepare you for the weight of devastation.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 14 June 2026
If war happens across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan is going to face serious devastation.
—Scott Tong, NPR, 11 June 2026
Pop says the devastation of Iran accounts for the impression Satrapi first made on him.
—Joobin Bekhrad, Time, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devastation
Noun
-
Israeli troops occupy more than 10% of Lebanese territory, leaving a trail of destruction that has seen swaths of the country’s south all but razed.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
There are those who would write her off, and perhaps her timidity before America’s facilitation of Gaza’s destruction has earned that dismissal.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Noun
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El Niño can also wreak havoc on the many marine ecosystems that support the world’s fishing industries, including coral reefs and seagrass meadows.—
Dillon Amaya,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
-
From stunting and weakening plant growth to delaying flower production, these 1/10th-inch-long pests can wreak havoc.—
Abby Monteil,
The Spruce,
12 June 2026
Noun
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The Spurs accrued a 10-point lead at that point, blitzing the Knicks with the type of pressure expected from a team that was a loss away from an offseason filled with sadness.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
-
The Dodgers’ recent bullpen problems persisted in a 6-4 loss Sunday, overshadowing a bounce-back effort from Emmet Sheehan.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Noun
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The Tapanuli orangutan struggle to withstand even small increases in death rates and annual losses of more than 1% a year likely put the species on a path toward extinction, Meijaard said.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
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That would come as a surprise to variola major, the virus that caused smallpox, driven to extinction by a vaccine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Research also suggests that recycling construction and demolition waste could meet half of China’s aggregate demand by 2050.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
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The measure would suspend Historic Preservation Board review across the Downtown Historic District for three years, routing decisions — including demolitions — around the board entirely.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devastation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastation. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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