as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the sheer devastation of the housing development by the forest fire
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Recent Examples of devastation
In 1983, O’Brien testified before Congress about the devastation of the disease, which her father had been one of the first celebrities to be diagnosed with.
—
Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
In addition to unleashing intense winds, Melissa produced catastrophic flooding, destructive storm surge and widespread economic devastation.
—Jacqueline Charles, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2026
Newsom’s comments come in light of the devastation in Gaza and the ongoing war with Iran.
—Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 4 Mar. 2026
Mayreau's permanent population of only about 300 residents is working diligently to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Beryl in 2024.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2026
What father would ever allow such devastation, assuring fellow patriarchs that their lives without sons would be ruined forever?
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
The Moon’s orbit would never decay so neatly, nor would tidal forces wait until impact to cause massive devastation.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026
The devastation and displacement placed tremendous strain on Israel’s internal cohesion—and applied more and more pressure to its leader.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
The findings, published in the journal Nature, reveal a world recovering from devastation and teeming with strange, soft-bodied creatures whose delicate features were frozen in stone with astonishing detail.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
In addition to unleashing intense winds, Melissa produced catastrophic flooding, destructive storm surge and widespread economic devastation.
—Jacqueline Charles, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2026
Newsom’s comments come in light of the devastation in Gaza and the ongoing war with Iran.
—Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 4 Mar. 2026
Mayreau's permanent population of only about 300 residents is working diligently to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Beryl in 2024.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 3 Mar. 2026
What father would ever allow such devastation, assuring fellow patriarchs that their lives without sons would be ruined forever?
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
The Moon’s orbit would never decay so neatly, nor would tidal forces wait until impact to cause massive devastation.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 2 Mar. 2026
The devastation and displacement placed tremendous strain on Israel’s internal cohesion—and applied more and more pressure to its leader.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
The findings, published in the journal Nature, reveal a world recovering from devastation and teeming with strange, soft-bodied creatures whose delicate features were frozen in stone with astonishing detail.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devastation
Noun
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Washington has no answer to any of these questions – only a theory of destruction.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
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Jalloh’s lengthy criminal history includes more than 30 arrests for charges of rape, assault, drug possession, property destruction, identity theft, trespassing, firing a weapon, grand larceny, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and pickpocketing.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Saudi Arabia has stepped up direct engagement with Iran to try and contain a war in the Middle East that is causing havoc and stressing global markets, according to several European officials.—
Donato Paolo Mancini,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The change launches biannual arguments about the practice, wrecks havoc on sleep and has inspired voters to go to California polls.—
Hannah Poukish,
Sacbee.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Mavs rookie Cooper Flagg was assessed the first technical foul of his NBA career during Dallas’ loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.—
R.J. Coyle,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Detroit is in the middle of a rough patch with four straight losses, but still holds the East’s top record at 45-18.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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If not stopped it has the potential to cause an extinction-level global ice age.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
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To save men’s basketball without putting football on a road to extinction was thought to be impossible in June 2018, by which time Dan Hurley was hired to replace Ollie, when UConn joined the Big East.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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His Eagle project was the demolition of some old baseball dugouts in Glendale, said Darin Life, former committee chairman for Troop 221.—
ALLEN G. BREED,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
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His Eagle project was the demolition of some old baseball dugouts in Glendale, said Darin Life, former committee chairman for Troop 221.—
Allen G. Breed,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devastation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastation. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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