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
Separately, Biden thrice designated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status in the aftermath of the murder of President Jovenel Moise, a devastating earthquake, mass internal displacement, widespread gang violence, chronic hunger and extreme impoverishment.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Steward, along with the other parents who lost their daughters to the devastating floods, has called for stronger safety standards at youth camps in Texas.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
The narrative serves as an allegory for a devastating real-world crisis.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
What began as a series of anonymous messages targeting a teenage girl and her boyfriend spiraled into a months-long investigation, ending in a devastating betrayal no one saw coming.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devastating
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Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Steward, along with the other parents who lost their daughters to the devastating floods, has called for stronger safety standards at youth camps in Texas.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
The narrative serves as an allegory for a devastating real-world crisis.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
What began as a series of anonymous messages targeting a teenage girl and her boyfriend spiraled into a months-long investigation, ending in a devastating betrayal no one saw coming.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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