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
Critics counter that the abrupt withdrawal of aid is already having devastating humanitarian consequences.
—
W. Gyude Moore,
semafor.com,
2 July 2026
His spouse, Marie Castro Fiallos, told the federal court her husband’s incarceration has been devastating for their children.
—
Lauren Villagran,
Miami Herald,
2 July 2026
On June 24, two earthquakes caused devastating damage in northern Venezuela, the home country of several Braves players and coaches.
—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
1 July 2026
But while potentially dangerous and certainly uncomfortable, the 2026 Chicago heat wave is not expected to have the devastating and deadly effects of 1995, or other severe heat events earlier in the 20th century.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for devastating
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.
W. Gyude Moore,
semafor.com,
2 July 2026
His spouse, Marie Castro Fiallos, told the federal court her husband’s incarceration has been devastating for their children.
—
Lauren Villagran,
Miami Herald,
2 July 2026
On June 24, two earthquakes caused devastating damage in northern Venezuela, the home country of several Braves players and coaches.
—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
1 July 2026
But while potentially dangerous and certainly uncomfortable, the 2026 Chicago heat wave is not expected to have the devastating and deadly effects of 1995, or other severe heat events earlier in the 20th century.
—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
1 July 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 4 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
