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
It's all told from the vantage point of a woman trying to make sense of her life in the face of devastation, sometimes grasping for signs that only hindsight can uncover.
—
Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
This has brought generational devastation.
—Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
Attempting to entirely eradicate one pest sometimes can open the door to devastation by another pest.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
Boller attributed this effort to her social-media posts about the devastation in Gaza.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
The devastation when Jackie doesn’t show up is just not feeling good enough.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
The conflict that ended in 1992 resulted in the deaths of 75,000 civilians, forced more than a million Salvadorans to flee the country and caused severe economic devastation for those who remained.
—Yamlek Mojica, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Vendors sell coco frio, welitos play dominos, Black and brown women adorn themselves at a nail salon, and workers continue to rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane María.
—Raquel Reichard, Refinery29, 9 Feb. 2026
The cold is only one part of the devastation felt by Ukrainians over the course of 2025, which was the deadliest year over the course of the four-year war.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 7 Feb. 2026
Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026
This has brought generational devastation.
—Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 16 Feb. 2026
Attempting to entirely eradicate one pest sometimes can open the door to devastation by another pest.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
Boller attributed this effort to her social-media posts about the devastation in Gaza.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
The devastation when Jackie doesn’t show up is just not feeling good enough.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
The conflict that ended in 1992 resulted in the deaths of 75,000 civilians, forced more than a million Salvadorans to flee the country and caused severe economic devastation for those who remained.
—Yamlek Mojica, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Vendors sell coco frio, welitos play dominos, Black and brown women adorn themselves at a nail salon, and workers continue to rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane María.
—Raquel Reichard, Refinery29, 9 Feb. 2026
The cold is only one part of the devastation felt by Ukrainians over the course of 2025, which was the deadliest year over the course of the four-year war.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 7 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devastation
Noun
-
He was initially charged in July 2025 and indicted by a grand jury on one count of malicious destruction of government property in August 2025.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The Michigan State Police says the suspect now faces 11 felony charges and eight misdemeanor charges that include check fraud and malicious destruction of property.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Ebba Andersson tumbled and snapped the ski binding in the second leg, giving Norway the advantage on a day where warm weather caused slushy corners that created havoc in the early stages.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Three minutes of comedy chasing and evasive action ensued before play resumed, only for the four-legged fiend to return to wreak more havoc than the home attack had previously shown.—
Craig Chisnall,
New York Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Those market jitters saw over $1 trillion wiped from the market caps of big tech firms, though some stocks have since recovered some of their losses.—
Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
-
That was Wembanyama, who had 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the World’s first loss and 19 points – including a pair of clutch 3-pointers – in its second.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Another drought in 2007 reduced it again to about 750, putting the bird on the brink of extinction.—
Sofia Baltodano,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
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The company also typically partners with conservation groups hoping to protect specific species and with local and regional indigenous groups who would have interest and be impacted by de-extinction or the loss of a species.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The demolition of La Brea Bakery forced the closure of the temporary Earl of Sandwich restaurant that had taken over the location during construction of a new permanent Earl of Sandwich location on the west end of Downtown Disney.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
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The measures follow years of accusations by Palestinians that actions by settlers and the military — campaigns of violence, harassment and demolitions — have pushed them from their land.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devastation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastation. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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