devastate

verb

dev·​as·​tate ˈde-və-ˌstāt How to pronounce devastate (audio)
devastated; devastating

transitive verb

1
: to bring to ruin or desolation by violent action
a country devastated by war
The typhoon devastated the island.
2
: to reduce to chaos, disorder, or helplessness : overwhelm
devastated by grief
Her wisecrack devastated the class.
devastation noun
devastative adjective
devastator noun
Choose the Right Synonym for devastate

ravage, devastate, waste, sack, pillage, despoil mean to lay waste by plundering or destroying.

ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

Examples of devastate in a Sentence

The flood devastated the town. The disease has devastated the area's oak tree population. The hurricane left the island completely devastated.
Recent Examples on the Web The temblor devastated the capital, Port-au-Prince, reducing much of it to ruins and leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 When Chelsea chose Jimmy in the end, Trevor seemed genuinely devastated, and that endeared him to fans even more. Sam Reed, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024 Great Lakes tribes and environmental groups worry that an oil spill in the Straits would devastate the region because it is considered the worst spot in the Great Lakes for an oil spill because of the location and the strength of the currents. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 For example, in 2017, when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and completely collapsed both the telecom and the electrical grids, for about a week there was no way to process electronic payments. María Soledad Davila Calero, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 However, a bursting stock bubble, falling ad rates and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, devastated the company. Paul Bond, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 Pennington is one of many cattle farmers whose livelihoods have been devastated by the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest wildfire in Texas history, which has burned more than a million acres of land across the panhandle. Camila Bernal, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Prebble was devastated, particularly on behalf of the cast and crew, who were suddenly unemployed. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Price, a longtime civil rights attorney who became DA in January, has called lengthy prison sentences a vestige of the country’s racist overreaction to crime, one that has devastated communities of color and led to unnecessary mass incarceration of criminals. Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'devastate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin devastatus, past participle of devastare, from de- + vastare to lay waste — more at waste

First Known Use

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of devastate was in 1638

Dictionary Entries Near devastate

Cite this Entry

“Devastate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devastate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

devastate

verb
dev·​as·​tate ˈdev-ə-ˌstāt How to pronounce devastate (audio)
devastated; devastating
1
: to reduce to ruin : lay waste
2
: overwhelm sense 2, overpower
devastated by grief
devastatingly adverb
devastation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on devastate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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