RAVAGE Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'ravage' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of ravage are despoil , devastate , pillage , sack , and waste . While all these words mean "to lay waste by plundering or destroying," ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction. // a hurricane ravaged the coast

Q: When would 'despoil' be a good substitute for 'ravage'?

In some situations, the words despoil and ravage are roughly equivalent. However, despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction. // the Nazis despoiled the art museums

Q: When is it sensible to use 'devastate' instead of 'ravage'?

While the synonyms devastate and ravage are close in meaning, devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area. // an earthquake devastated the city

Q: How are the words 'pillage' and 'sack' related as synonyms of 'ravage'?

Pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack . // settlements pillaged by Vikings

Q: Where would 'sack' be a reasonable alternative to 'ravage'?

The meanings of sack and ravage largely overlap; however, sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place. // barbarians sacked ancient Rome

Q: In what contexts can 'waste' take the place of 'ravage'?

While in some cases nearly identical to ravage , waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action. // years of drought had wasted the area

ravage 1 of 2

verb

Definition of ravage

as in to destroy

to bring destruction to (something) through violent action the hurricane ravaged the state and caused billions of dollars worth of damage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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ravage

2 of 2

noun

as in ravaging

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How does the verb ravage contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of ravage are despoil, devastate, pillage, sack, and waste. While all these words mean "to lay waste by plundering or destroying," ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

When would despoil be a good substitute for ravage?

In some situations, the words despoil and ravage are roughly equivalent. However, despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

When is it sensible to use devastate instead of ravage?

While the synonyms devastate and ravage are close in meaning, devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

How are the words pillage and sack related as synonyms of ravage?

Pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

Where would sack be a reasonable alternative to ravage?

The meanings of sack and ravage largely overlap; however, sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

In what contexts can waste take the place of ravage?

While in some cases nearly identical to ravage, waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ravage

Verb

Mandel's futuristic story of a world ravaged by a lethal flu virus was already a bestseller and National Book Award finalist six years before the coronavirus pandemic gave it the unwanted status of prophecy. — ABC News, 14 Sep. 2026 Real-life couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski — who also directed and cowrote the film — fight to keep their growing family safe in a world ravaged by monsters that hunt by sound. — Sara Netzley, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026

Noun

Temperatures are rising and normally rainy Salzburg now worries about water shortage and the environmental ravage of over-tourism. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ravage

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ravage

Verb

Just this man, essentially destroying himself while his friend watched.

— Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
The European Union’s ban on destroying unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear began applying to large companies July 19.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of destroy

Verb

The region has already been saturated by heavy rain over the past months, and regions like New Mexico and Grand Canyon were hit by devastating floods earlier this month.

— Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
Palestinian farmer Saad Nemer of Fasayil said the water being cut off has devastated his fields, adding that his family has documents that prove ownership of the land.

— Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of devastate

Verb

Before the attack, millions of books a year were printed in this space, where there’s now nothing but piles of swollen book stock, ruined after firefighters put out the blaze.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
But Timothy Leary’s version became the dominant idea of psychedelics, and when President Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs began, psychedelics were vilified as the gateway to ruin.

— Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruin

Noun

Counsel argued that seizing the ballots was necessary to preserve potential evidence before statutory destruction deadlines and to compare the total number of ballots with official vote records.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
The investigation into Israel’s mass killing of civilians in Gaza was shot at night on rooftops in Tel Aviv where the filmmakers interviewed Israeli military intelligence officers and soldiers about destruction and loss of life.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of destruction

Noun

These are two examples of politicians' truths among a plethora of others that are really lies, distortions, deceptions and desecrations of the citizens' trust in them.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
Cutting down a tree is this ultimate symbol of the desecration of the environment, but that wasn’t always the case.

— Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of desecration

Noun

No other city in the country would blow off the ruination of a community.

— Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
Some of these are arranged into more staid compositions of geometric bands of color, while others bend and bulge into shapes evoking the baroque ruination of junk-yard findings.

— Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026

Definition of ruination

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“Ravage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ravage. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ravage

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