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
  • Claudine Constant, director of the Beyond Jails Initiative at Vera Institute of Justice, said even one day can be devastating.
    — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The fear is that a spark from an encampment could be whipped by winds and quickly turn into a devastating blaze across Malibu’s fire-prone hills.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • Boone didn’t get to watch the disastrous half-inning from the dugout, as he was ejected in the top of the sixth.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Despite so many past failures, Washington’s foreign policy debates are frequently still dominated by aging officials who made disastrous choices.
    — Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau, raising the possibility of destructive flooding and even wildfires kicked up by strong winds on the drier sides of the islands.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Tropical Storm Lala is moving away from Hawaii after bringing destructive flooding and strong winds over the weekend.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 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 19 Aug. 2026.

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