dev·as·tat·ing
| \ ˈde-və-ˌstā-tiŋ
\
\
Definition of devastating
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
2
: 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
3
: extremely effective or powerful
a devastating satire He had a devastating wit and an utter contempt for shoddy work in physics.— Jeremy Bernstein
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from devastating
devastatingly
\
ˈde-və-ˌstā-tiŋ-lē
\
adverb
\
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
Postcards from the Edge is a devastatingly savvy, bitingly funny, yet sad movie based on Carrie Fisher's autobiographical novel about Hollywood.
— Jeffrey Lyons
… is portrayed as a devastatingly effective power broker in the Senate.
— Alan Brinkley
Synonyms & Antonyms for devastating
Synonyms
- annihilatory,
- calamitous,
- cataclysmal
- (or cataclysmic),
- destructive,
- devastative,
- disastrous,
- ruinous
Antonyms
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More about devastating
Dictionary Entries near devastating
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for devastating
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Devastating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devastating. Accessed 17 May. 2021.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for devastating
devastating
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of devastating
: causing great damage or harm
: causing extreme emotional pain
: extremely effective or powerful
See the full definition for devastating in the English Language Learners Dictionary
Comments on devastating
What made you want to look up devastating? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Words Used by Nabokov Quiz
-
- Choose the best definition or synonym for the word in bold: "There are some eructations that sound like cheers—at least, mine did." Lolita
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Spell words. Make bears.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share devastating
Time Traveler for devastating
The first known use of devastating was in 1634
See more words from the same year