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
Adjective
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Though both storms are similar — with a major storm system lingering over the region for over a day and whipping the region with merciless hurricane-level winds, driving inch after inch of wet snow — what made the 1978 storm so devastating was the apparent suddenness of its arrival.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026 -
In much of Europe, by contrast, the chauvinism that had fuelled two devastating World Wars rendered such displays largely taboo after Hitler’s defeat.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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After a disastrous White House meeting a year ago, Zelenskyy has adopted a more practical negotiating stance, emphasizing Ukraine’s goodwill.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Feb. 2026
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Just five months later, Kipnuk was among several villages hit by disastrous storm surge and flooding when Typhoon Halong battered the remote Alaskan coast in October 2025.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
One of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history, the Palisades fire burned 23,448 acres and destroyed much of the exclusive Pacific Palisades community, destroying about 6,800 structures and killing 12 people.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
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The company’s storm costs included $800 million for Hurricane Helene, the most destructive storm in utility history.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
18 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Devastative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastative. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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