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
Less than 11 months ago, the Boston Celtics star suffered a devastating Achilles injury on that same Garden floor.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
Who would have thought a suite of songs that cover being annoyed at TV chef Jamie Oliver and some rich Tesla driver moving into an old flame’s flat would be so comprehensively devastating?
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The winners include heartbreaking images of an elephant culling in Zimbabwe, a massive apartment fire in Hong Kong, and the devastating aftermath of drone attacks in Ukraine.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 9 Apr. 2026
Add in the millions upon millions in wasted and unaccounted-for tax dollars exposed by devastating legislative audits.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for devastating
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Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
Who would have thought a suite of songs that cover being annoyed at TV chef Jamie Oliver and some rich Tesla driver moving into an old flame’s flat would be so comprehensively devastating?
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
The winners include heartbreaking images of an elephant culling in Zimbabwe, a massive apartment fire in Hong Kong, and the devastating aftermath of drone attacks in Ukraine.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 9 Apr. 2026
Add in the millions upon millions in wasted and unaccounted-for tax dollars exposed by devastating legislative audits.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 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 11 Apr. 2026.
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