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devastate

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of devastate

1 to bring destruction to (something) through violent action

  • the city was devastated, first by the earthquake and then by fires
Synonyms of devastate

destroy, ravage, ruin, scourge
Words Related to devastate

despoil, foray, harry, loot, maraud, pillage, plunder, sack, strip

annihilate, desolate, eradicate, expunge, extinguish, extirpate, nuke, obliterate, rub out, shatter, smash, total, vaporize, waste, wipe out, wrack, wreck

decimate, mow

demolish, raze

crush, overpower, overrun, overthrow, overwhelm
Near Antonyms of devastate

recondition, recover, redeem, rehabilitate, restore

fix, mend, patch, repair, revamp

2 to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of

  • the explosion devastated an entire city block
Synonyms of devastate

annihilate, cream, decimate, demolish, desolate, destroy, do in, extinguish, nuke, pull down, pulverize, raze, rub out, ruin, shatter, smash, tear down, total, vaporize, waste, wrack, wreck
Words Related to devastate

beat, best, clobber, conquer, crush, defeat, drub, lick, master, overbear, overcome, overmatch, prevail (over), rout, scotch, skunk, subdue, surmount, thrash, trim, triumph (over), trounce, wallop, whip, win (against)

blast, blow up, break, cripple, damage, deface, deteriorate, disfigure, disintegrate, dissolve, dynamite, harm, impair, injure, mangle, mar, mutilate, spoil, vitiate

erode, scour, sweep (away), wash out, wear (away)

dilapidate, disassemble, dismantle, gut, take down, unbuild, undo, unmake

blot out, efface, eradicate, expunge, exterminate, extirpate, liquidate, obliterate, remove, root (out), snuff (out), stamp (out), wipe out

despoil, havoc, loot, pillage, plunder, ravage, sack, trample, trash, vandalize

assassinate, butcher, cut down, dispatch, execute, fell, kill, kill off, massacre, mow (down), murder, slaughter, slay, take out, zap
Near Antonyms of devastate

doctor, fix, mend, patch, recondition, repair, revamp

create, invent

assemble, fabricate, fashion, forge, form, frame, make, manufacture, mold, produce, shape

bring about, constitute, establish, father, found, institute, organize

conserve, preserve, protect, save

rebuild, reconstruct, remodel, renovate, restore
Antonyms of devastate

build, construct, erect, put up, raise, rear, set up

3 to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress

  • we were devastated by the awful news of his death
Synonyms of devastate

crush, floor, grind (down), oppress, overcome, overmaster, overpower, overwhelm, prostrate, snow under, swamp, whelm
Words Related to devastate

deluge, drown, sink

confute, defeat, refute

break, demoralize, distress, disturb, rock, shatter, stagger, throw, unman, unnerve, upset

Synonym Discussion of 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

Learn More about devastate

  1. See words that rhyme with devastate Dictionary: Definition of devastate Spanish Central: Translation of devastate Nglish: Translation of devastate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of devastate for Arabic speakers

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