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
Earlier this year, following the devastating Los Angeles-area fires, the plan was allowed to seek $1 billion from insurance companies, half of which could ultimately be paid for by policyholders from those companies.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Regardless of the size, any further staffing cuts to the Park Service would be devastating for our parks.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
In a country already facing a mental health crisis, this blackout was devastating.
—Zahra Nader, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Add to that a staggering $140 million theft, and the devastating loss of a close friend, as the Duncans’ empire faces unprecedented threats.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devastating
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Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Regardless of the size, any further staffing cuts to the Park Service would be devastating for our parks.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
In a country already facing a mental health crisis, this blackout was devastating.
—Zahra Nader, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
Add to that a staggering $140 million theft, and the devastating loss of a close friend, as the Duncans’ empire faces unprecedented threats.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 3 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 7 Oct. 2025.
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