Synonyms of devastating

devastating 1 of 2

adjective

ˈde-və-ˌstā-tiŋ 

as in disastrous

causing or tending to cause destruction

a devastating blow to our morale

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disastrous
• destructive
• devastative
• deadly
• lethal
• ruinous
• fatal
• calamitous
• poisonous
• annihilatory
• fell
• murderous
• cataclysmal
• killer
• harmful
• detrimental
• virulent
• deleterious
• pernicious
• antibiotic
• vital
• mortal
• baleful
• deathly
• biocidal
• pestilent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protective
• nondestructive
• constructive
• creative
• productive
• useful
• harmless
• formative
• helpful
• innocuous
• innocent
• healthy
• preservative
• healthful
• wholesome
• inoffensive
• ameliorative
• nonfatal
• salubrious
• nonlethal

devastating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of devastate

1

as in ravaging

to bring destruction to (something) through violent action

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ravaging
• destroying
• ruining
• shattering
• wrecking
• scourging
• overwhelming
• plundering
• sacking
• obliterating
• eradicating
• stripping
• desolating
• looting
• decimating
• despoiling
• marauding
• annihilating
• vaporizing
• pillaging
• wiping out
• extinguishing
• extirpating
• demolishing
• wracking
• smashing
• harrying
• wasting
• expunging
• totaling
• overpowering
• mowing
• crushing
• razing
• nuking
• overrunning
• foraying
• overthrowing
• rubbing out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• recovering
• restoring
• rehabilitating
• repairing
• fixing
• redeeming
• reconditioning
• mending
• patching
• revamping

2

as in destroying

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

the explosion devastated an entire city block

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroying
• shattering
• ruining
• demolishing
• wrecking
• damaging
• smashing
• overcoming
• crippling
• wasting
• decimating
• ravaging
• annihilating
• pulverizing
• eroding
• extinguishing
• desolating
• vaporizing
• tearing down
• crushing
• wracking
• totaling
• razing
• marring
• pulling down
• killing
• doing in
• rubbing out
• defeating
• dismantling
• blasting
• creaming
• breaking
• nuking
• disfiguring
• deteriorating
• removing
• disintegrating
• impairing
• spoiling
• subduing
• prevailing (over)
• harming
• injuring
• winning (against)
• conquering
• trimming
• mastering
• surmounting
• mutilating
• clobbering
• whipping
• thrashing
• routing
• wearing (away)
• undoing
• licking
• sweeping (away)
• dynamiting
• mangling
• triumphing (over)
• walloping
• eradicating
• dissolving
• besting
• obliterating
• overmatching
• beating
• vitiating
• gutting
• blowing up
• drubbing
• overbearing
• defacing
• scouring
• sacking
• washing out
• slaughtering
• trouncing
• wiping out
• extirpating
• plundering
• taking down
• exterminating
• looting
• liquidating
• trampling
• disassembling
• stamping (out)
• murdering
• cutting down
• dilapidating
• expunging
• slaying
• assassinating
• despoiling
• blotting out
• executing
• scotching
• skunking
• rooting (out)
• dispatching
• pillaging
• massacring
• vandalizing
• effacing
• killing off
• felling
• mowing (down)
• trashing
• butchering
• snuffing (out)
• unmaking
• taking out
• zapping
• unbuilding
• havocking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• building
• constructing
• creating
• raising
• repairing
• rearing
• setting up
• fixing
• erecting
• producing
• making
• shaping
• putting up
• manufacturing
• forming
• forging
• inventing
• framing
• assembling
• protecting
• establishing
• organizing
• saving
• patching
• bringing about
• reconditioning
• revamping
• constituting
• fashioning
• molding
• mending
• fabricating
• preserving
• rebuilding
• doctoring
• founding
• instituting
• reconstructing
• restoring
• remodeling
• conserving
• fathering
• renovating

3

as in overwhelming

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress

we were devastated by the awful news of his death

Synonyms & Similar Words

• overwhelming
• overcoming
• crushing
• overpowering
• disturbing
• grinding (down)
• oppressing
• swamping
• overmastering
• rocking
• drowning
• upsetting
• flooring
• shattering
• whelming
• prostrating
• distressing
• defeating
• snowing under
• sinking
• staggering
• unnerving
• demoralizing
• refuting
• throwing
• deluging
• confuting
• unmanning
• breaking

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of devastating

Adjective

Meanwhile, Bass, 73, sought another term after facing criticism over her administration’s response to the devastating January 2025 wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena. — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2026

The Republicans’ devastating midterm losses prompted heated recriminations, as well as unofficial campaigning for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Verb

Military force has imposed enormous costs on both Hamas and Iran, devastating their military facilities and killing their commanders. — Nadia Schadlow, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026

The country is also recovering from devastating back-to-back earthquakes in June that have so far killed over 6,000 people. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026