ravage

1 of 2

noun

rav·​age ˈra-vij 

1

: an act or practice of ravaging

2

: damage resulting from ravaging : violently destructive effect

the ravages of time

ravage

2 of 2

verb

ravaged; ravaging

transitive verb

: to wreak havoc on : affect destructively

a land ravaged by war

intransitive verb

: to commit destructive actions

ravagement

ˈra-vij-mənt 

noun

ravager noun

Synonyms

Verb

• destroy
• devastate
• ruin
• scourge

Choose the Right Synonym for ravage

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 ravage in a Sentence

Verb

Hurricane Andrew ravaged Louisiana and Florida in 1992, causing $19 billion in damage.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Others elect to survive on camp rations rather than brave the ravages outside. —Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024

Many scenes and images in The Boy and the Heron echo those from his earlier films, only this time they’re rendered in service of a story almost wholly about the profound ravages of war. —Nina Li Coomes, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2024

Popularity of the theatrical run for the collected shorts is showing signs of recovery from the pandemic’s ravages too. —David Bloom, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024

Astronauts are up there doing basic research, understanding how microgravity ravages the human body, advancing commercial space, and much more. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 18 Jan. 2024

Maestro centers on Cooper’s assiduous show of respect for Bernstein — Cooper meticulously enacts Bernstein’s rise to celebrity while sympathetically balancing his hotshot, wunderkind arrogance with the physical ravages of time. —Armond White, National Review, 22 Dec. 2023

The paper compiles data from across the globe, but stray felines disproportionately ravage islands where native species evolved in relative isolation. —Celia Ford, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2023

The announcement comes the same week that San Diego County experienced its first tropical storm warning since 1939 and as climate change ravages regions with extreme heat and wildfires. —Natallie Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023

Overall, though, the results reveal an electorate ready and willing to live alongside clean energy infrastructure, and help avert the worst ravages of the climate crisis, in the world’s fifth-largest economy. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023

Verb

As a result, although many among the Oromo elite are Abiy’s most powerful backers today, fighting continues to ravage many parts of Oromia. —Alex De Waal, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2024

The Old Fitz name arrived at Heaven Hill in 1999, the same year that the distillery acquired the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville after the Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery was ravaged by a fire a few years prior. —Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 3 Apr. 2024

Despite them being ravaged by injuries and suspensions, their season largely a throwaway, Wednesday’s game with the Lakers was their first time this year hosting the team that ousted them last spring. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Hundreds of organizations asked President Joe Biden on Tuesday to expand immigration protections for Haitians already in the United States and indefinitely suspend deportations to Haiti as extreme gang violence continues to ravage the island's capital and threatens to topple the government. —Syra Ortiz Blanes The Miami Herald (tns), arkansasonline.com, 28 Mar. 2024

By Heather Law, Brandon Miller and Derek Van Dam | CNN At least 27 people have been killed in southeast Brazil as rainfall continues to ravage parts of the country, according to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil citing state authorities. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024

The crack cocaine epidemic ravaged Chicago in the 1980s. —Ashley R. Williams, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024

Despite being ravaged by injuries and suspensions, their season largely a throwaway, Wednesday’s game with the Lakers was their first time this year to host the team that ousted them last spring. —Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024

Opal Lee, the grandmother of Juneteenth, was able to see her home raised again on the lot were her childhood home was ravaged and burned. —Candi Bolden, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French, "destruction, damage (by human or animal agency, or by natural or nonmaterial causes, as disease or age)," going back to Middle French, "destruction by human agency, pillage, violent flood of water," from ravir "to seize forcefully, plunder, sweep along" (going back to Old French) + -age age — more at ravish

Verb

borrowed from French ravager, derivative of ravage "destruction, damage" — more at ravage entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1602, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

ravage

1 of 2 noun

rav·​age ˈrav-ij 

: violently destructive action or effect

ravage

2 of 2 verb

ravaged; ravaging

: to attack or act upon with great violence

a forest ravaged by fire

ravagement

-mənt 

noun

ravager noun