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
-
There are two questions Gazans have usually asked each other since the start of this campaign of unrelenting and systematic destruction, starvation, displacement and mass killing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
But catastrophes also tend to reveal deficits in society, and the patterns of destruction and abandonment that followed the fire—which have roots in America’s past and its present—tell us something about the country’s future, too.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
At the center of all the glitzy havoc—her face often looming on a huge flat screen that rolls around the stage, following actors like a hulking LED stalker—is of course Chenoweth.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
After those rules are broken, the gremlin spawns more of its kind and end up wrecking havoc on Billy’s hometown during Christmas.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
This means clear ownership, strategic leadership, and, above all, profit-and-loss accountability.—
Phil Gilbert,
Fortune,
12 Nov. 2025
-
Three years later, a clinical study of the Pro, paid for by Stryker, found that 1 in 4 patients experienced complications after getting the implant, ranging from infection to avascular necrosis, the death of bone tissue due to loss of blood.—
Elizabeth B. Kim,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
12 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
-
The administration maintains that the NCPC has jurisdiction over construction rather than demolition.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Barrett Lo has said demolition could begin before the end of 2025.—
Adrienne Davis,
jsonline.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devastation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastation. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
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