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devastative

adjective

Definition of devastativenext
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction that kind of devastative tornado can tear the roof off of a house in a matter of seconds

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for devastative
  1. devastating
  2. disastrous
  3. destructive
Adjective
  • Nearly a month after the first in a devastating string of beluga deaths at Shedd Aquarium, its officials Friday offered preliminary answers about what may have gone wrong.
    — Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The memory has historically been prone to devastating boom-and-bust cycles.
    — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • Still, by the time the meeting ended, aldermen had agreed the new terms made the disastrous 2008 privatization of the city’s once-public system a little bit better.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Undeterred, the press has continued to publish damning reports about his chaotic management of the Pentagon at home and the US military’s disastrous conduct overseas.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • But most destructive is the voice of Jamal’s stepdad, which is a negative, paranoid voice that tries to convince him to doubt the intentions of those around him.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Such capabilities can potentially affect military intelligence, communications, and navigation without creating the debris associated with destructive anti-satellite missile tests.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of destructive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

devastations
devastative
develop
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Cite this Entry

“Devastative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastative. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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