devastate

1 of 2

verb

dev·​as·​tate ˈde-və-ˌstāt 

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

ˌde-və-ˈstā-shən 

noun

devastative

ˈde-və-ˌstā-tiv 

adjective

devastator

ˈde-və-ˌstā-tər 

noun

devastation

2 of 2

noun

dev·​as·​ta·​tion ˌdevəˈstāshən 

plural -s

1

: the action of devastating or state of being devastated : a laying waste : desolation

the devastations of war

2

: devastavit

Synonyms of devastate

Verb

• ravage
• destroy

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

Verb

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

Verb

Sam was rightfully devastated that his charge up the leader board ended up being one shot short of catching Clark. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2026

Fans were devastated when Klondike officially discontinued it in 2022. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 22 June 2026

Manipulating the timing of releases from dams on the western rivers could flood Pakistani farmland during planting seasons, while withholding water during critical irrigation windows could devastate harvests. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 22 June 2026

This could devastate Australia's unique wildlife, which has no immunity, and pose a significant economic threat to the poultry industry. — John Drake, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Late Latin devastation-, devastatio, from Latin devastatus + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for devastate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

devastate

verb

dev·​as·​tate ˈdev-ə-ˌstāt 

devastated; devastating

1

: to reduce to ruin : lay waste

2

: overwhelm sense 2, overpower

devastated by grief

devastatingly

-ˌstāt-iŋ-lē 

adverb

devastation

ˌdev-ə-ˈstā-shən 

noun