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 an interview with the editorial board, Prang was asked what effect the devastation of the Eaton and Palisades fires in January 2025 would have on his office.
—
The Editorial Board, Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
The devastation resulted in 235 buildings destroyed and the death of 72 townspeople; 205 others suffered injuries.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
That’s where the McCurdys found devastation.
—Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
For Kahan, the concept of forever is both balm and devastation, buoy and riptide.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Hours later, residents returned to find devastation.
—Rashad Williams, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and starring Abraham Attah and Idris Elba, the film is a harrowing, confronting look at humanity in the face of the devastation of war.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
But given the devastation wrought by this war, quite a few Iranians and Americans seem keen to give talks a go.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
The judge acknowledged the devastation to the family, noting that no sentence could undo the loss.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
The Editorial Board, Daily News, 15 Apr. 2026
The devastation resulted in 235 buildings destroyed and the death of 72 townspeople; 205 others suffered injuries.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026
That’s where the McCurdys found devastation.
—Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
For Kahan, the concept of forever is both balm and devastation, buoy and riptide.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Hours later, residents returned to find devastation.
—Rashad Williams, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and starring Abraham Attah and Idris Elba, the film is a harrowing, confronting look at humanity in the face of the devastation of war.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Apr. 2026
But given the devastation wrought by this war, quite a few Iranians and Americans seem keen to give talks a go.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
The judge acknowledged the devastation to the family, noting that no sentence could undo the loss.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devastation
Noun
-
The incident prompted Christian leaders from around the world — including Pope Leo XIV — to urge Israel to stop its destruction of holy sites and civilian lives in Gaza and the West Bank.—
April 20,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
May the world know that Americans are ashamed and suffering and locked into despair and destruction, which now affects the world.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The aim is for Abdul to cause havoc in the United States, the West Bank and Iran.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In the twentieth century, the same storms that made headlines in New York wreaked quieter havoc across the river.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For thousands of data-loss victims, the last resort is a recovery service called DriveSavers.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The lack of disclosure comes as other states record mounting losses in tax revenue to data center subsidies.—
Kevin Hardy,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Lumping all of these together—with the fringe extinction-risk crowd, or the StopAI protesters—misses what’s actually driving the force.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The paper argued that humanity is quickly accelerating toward extinction and advocated for violence against people who are working on developing AI.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Trump has also repeatedly railed against a federal judge who ordered construction on the ballroom — which required the surprise demolition of the White House’s East Wing — to be temporarily halted until the president receives authorization from Congress.—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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One minute, the robots are a construction crew, and the next, a demolition team.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Devastation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastation. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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