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
The Breakup Pill shot in Los Angeles, completing both production and post-production recently, despite delays caused by January’s devastating SoCal wildfires, which destroyed Lorenzo’s home.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Will and Lyra face a devastating separation, literally caught on either side of their two worlds, at the end of The Amber Spyglass.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
But Raducanu’s identity has been harder to maintain — or even define — against the best and most devastating attacks on the WTA Tour.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Elle Fanning, long overdue for Academy recognition, delivers what many consider her finest work yet — measured, devastating, revelatory.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devastating
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Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
Will and Lyra face a devastating separation, literally caught on either side of their two worlds, at the end of The Amber Spyglass.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
But Raducanu’s identity has been harder to maintain — or even define — against the best and most devastating attacks on the WTA Tour.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Elle Fanning, long overdue for Academy recognition, delivers what many consider her finest work yet — measured, devastating, revelatory.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
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 Oct. 2025.
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