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
After constant requests during two years of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli military finally brings our correspondent into the territory to see the devastation in post-war northern Gaza firsthand.
—
Greg Dixon, NPR, 5 Nov. 2025
In 2005, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, park officials made the decision to close Six Flags New Orleans permanently.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
The devastation in Cuba was so great that Washington offered humanitarian aid to the island nation, Politico reported.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Ronnie’s devastation is heartbreaking, as is the impossible situation Lilly has found herself in — and her betrayal of Hank doesn’t even save her.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Reggae star mobilizes aid effort The reggae star said the devastation pushed him to use his platform to bring aid.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
The devastation caused by Melissa drew an outpouring of support from across the world, with some countries pledging support in the form of cash, food aid and rescue teams.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
These are just some of the scenes of devastation Jamaica woke up to this morning, 48 hours after Hurricane Melissa raged through the island nation as the most powerful storm in its history and one of the most potent ever recorded anywhere.
—George Solis, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
After making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, Melissa left a trail of devastation and flooding.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Greg Dixon, NPR, 5 Nov. 2025
In 2005, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, park officials made the decision to close Six Flags New Orleans permanently.
—Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
The devastation in Cuba was so great that Washington offered humanitarian aid to the island nation, Politico reported.
—Semafor Events, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Ronnie’s devastation is heartbreaking, as is the impossible situation Lilly has found herself in — and her betrayal of Hank doesn’t even save her.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025
Reggae star mobilizes aid effort The reggae star said the devastation pushed him to use his platform to bring aid.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
The devastation caused by Melissa drew an outpouring of support from across the world, with some countries pledging support in the form of cash, food aid and rescue teams.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
These are just some of the scenes of devastation Jamaica woke up to this morning, 48 hours after Hurricane Melissa raged through the island nation as the most powerful storm in its history and one of the most potent ever recorded anywhere.
—George Solis, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
After making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, Melissa left a trail of devastation and flooding.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devastation
Noun
-
Perhaps, curled inside the turbulent virginal atmosphere, Helm dreams of being a storm, has a prophetic vision of destruction, feels a natural calling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
What divides him from Burton is that Hopkins, by a miracle, summoned the clarity to renounce his own destruction.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Texas Tech started slow in Manhattan, but the dam eventually broke due to Tech’s havoc-wreaking defense.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
The real reason is to wreak as much havoc as humanly possible, or at least that’s what we’re given to believe from the way the hostess swans about while deftly manipulating dozens of puppet strings simultaneously.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Maduro has ruled Venezuela with an iron fist since 2013 and has clung to power despite an apparently decisive loss in the 2024 presidential election.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The former Indianapolis Colts owner didn’t want anyone to miss his message following the Colts’ catastrophic end-of-season collapse that was punctuated by a 26-11 loss to the 3-14 Jaguars.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Sam Altman, of OpenAI, has claimed that generative AI could bring about the end of human civilization, and that AI poses a risk of extinction on a par with nuclear warfare and global pandemics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
And the global population of whales declined precipitously to the point of near extinction.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Asked on Sunday why more Americans feel this way about Democrats than the president -- even amidst the East Wing demolitions or a White House Halloween party hosted during the shutdown -- Martin suggested Republicans were in hotter water and disapproved of by Americans more.—
Brittany Shepherd,
ABC News,
3 Nov. 2025
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Co-anchor Michael Che then addressed Trump proudly announcing the remodeling of a White House bathroom, on top of his demolition of the East Wing, which had stood for 123 years.—
William Vaillancourt,
Rolling Stone,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devastation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastation. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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