Synonyms of devastates

devastates

verb

present tense third-person singular of devastate

1

as in destroys

to bring destruction to (something) through violent action

the city was devastated, first by the earthquake and then by fires

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroys
• ravages
• ruins
• overwhelms
• plunders
• shatters
• scourges
• obliterates
• decimates
• despoils
• wrecks
• eradicates
• desolates
• vaporizes
• annihilates
• demolishes
• pillages
• extinguishes
• wracks
• loots
• harries
• expunges
• smashes
• wastes
• strips
• sacks
• extirpates
• wipes out
• razes
• forays
• overpowers
• mows
• totals
• nukes
• overthrows
• marauds
• rubs out
• overruns
• crushes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restores
• recovers
• redeems
• rehabilitates
• repairs
• reconditions
• mends
• fixes
• revamps
• patches

2

as in demolishes

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

the explosion devastated an entire city block

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroys
• demolishes
• shatters
• ruins
• wrecks
• smashes
• overcomes
• decimates
• damages
• erodes
• annihilates
• wastes
• extinguishes
• vaporizes
• ravages
• pulverizes
• desolates
• razes
• cripples
• wracks
• kills
• dismantles
• mars
• injures
• totals
• tears down
• breaks
• removes
• crushes
• does in
• pulls down
• defeats
• subdues
• nukes
• rubs out
• impairs
• blasts
• creams
• disfigures
• disintegrates
• conquers
• deteriorates
• harms
• mutilates
• clobbers
• obliterates
• dissolves
• vitiates
• surmounts
• spoils
• eradicates
• thrashes
• trounces
• prevails (over)
• mangles
• licks
• wallops
• bests
• defaces
• wins (against)
• masters
• routs
• undoes
• scours
• whips
• overbears
• unmakes
• exterminates
• triumphs (over)
• assassinates
• slaughters
• tramples
• beats
• plunders
• trims
• slays
• dynamites
• despoils
• vandalizes
• effaces
• disassembles
• sweeps (away)
• liquidates
• blows up
• guts
• murders
• expunges
• trashes
• wears (away)
• pillages
• executes
• loots
• extirpates
• washes out
• drubs
• stamps (out)
• zaps
• overmatches
• wipes out
• takes down
• roots (out)
• cuts down
• blots out
• scotches
• dispatches
• sacks
• snuffs (out)
• dilapidates
• kills off
• massacres
• mows (down)
• unbuilds
• fells
• takes out
• skunks
• butchers
• havocs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• builds
• creates
• raises
• erects
• constructs
• repairs
• produces
• sets up
• makes
• doctors
• rears
• invents
• fixes
• establishes
• manufactures
• constitutes
• protects
• puts up
• assembles
• forms
• mends
• shapes
• organizes
• saves
• reconditions
• preserves
• fathers
• founds
• restores
• revamps
• brings about
• institutes
• frames
• forges
• fashions
• conserves
• reconstructs
• patches
• fabricates
• molds
• rebuilds
• renovates
• remodels

3

as in overwhelms

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress

we were devastated by the awful news of his death

Synonyms & Similar Words

• overwhelms
• overcomes
• oppresses
• overpowers
• crushes
• disturbs
• whelms
• prostrates
• drowns
• swamps
• grinds (down)
• rocks
• floors
• shatters
• upsets
• overmasters
• defeats
• snows under
• sinks
• refutes
• demoralizes
• staggers
• unnerves
• deluges
• throws
• distresses
• confutes
• unmans
• breaks

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of devastates

So when the dog is lost in a severe storm that devastates the region and leaves many homeless, an overwhelmed Rose must balance the urgency of her search mission alongside the misfortune of others close to her. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 June 2026

Withholding effective treatment for chronic disease devastates lives and drives up healthcare costs. — Karen R. Studer, Sacbee.com, 1 June 2026

After an epidemic devastates humanity, one group, the Traveling Symphony, connects disparate survivors by performing Shakespeare. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 May 2026

The fire devastates the area, burning down the couple's entire property. — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026

As a Category 5 hurricane devastates a small coastal town, flooding turns out to be the least of the residents' worries when the rising water brings massive predators with it. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 10 Apr. 2026

Florida’s citrus industry has been in a steady decline the past 25 years because of Huanglongbing (also known as HLB and citrus greening disease), a bacterial disease that devastates citrus trees. — Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026

Kyiv residents endure long daily blackouts as Russia devastates the power system, leaving tower block dwellers freezing in apartments with no heat or light. — Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2026

Exacerbating the problem, unpredictable rainfall cycling between drought and floods further devastates the region. — Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026