1
as in to ravage
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
the city was devastated, first by the earthquake and then by fires
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
the explosion devastated an entire city block
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to overwhelm
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
we were devastated by the awful news of his death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of devastate
The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder.
—
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 May 2025
Johnson was devastated about her daughter’s death and told Fox 8 that their family was still processing their grief.
—Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 22 May 2025
Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Beyond the immediate dead, the refugees, destroyed agriculture, loss of economic capacity, all would utterly devastate China.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for devastate
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 May 2025
Johnson was devastated about her daughter’s death and told Fox 8 that their family was still processing their grief.
—Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 22 May 2025
Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Beyond the immediate dead, the refugees, destroyed agriculture, loss of economic capacity, all would utterly devastate China.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for devastate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devastate
Verb
-
The council also scaled back the number of new hires the mayor proposed for the Los Angeles Fire Department in the wake of the wildfire that ravaged huge stretches of Pacific Palisades.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2025
-
Numerous celebrities, including Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton and Milo Ventimiglia lost their homes in the ravaging blaze.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea from a group of Native American activists and supporters to block a copper mining company from destroying an Apache religious site.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
27 May 2025
-
During the week of my embed, the Russian military identified and destroyed a few of the Vampire pilots’ positions.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2025
Verb
-
The ‘Willy Wonka’ phase A sweet, sugary smell overwhelms the next pod at Goodblend. Gummies in hues of orange, red, yellow, green and blue sit on parchment paper a metal tray.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 May 2025
-
Cruel and unaccountable events pile up, overwhelming any sense of normality.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Miami Herald,
22 May 2025
-
But that stumble constitutes Hwang’s only confrontation with the hypocrisy that ruins Yellow Face and its inherent PBS conceit.—
Armond White,
National Review,
21 May 2025
Verb
-
Skubal overcame a Tommy John procedure in college and a flexor tendon surgery earlier in his big-league career to become one of baseball’s elite pitchers.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
The odds remain against them — only 16.1% of teams have overcome a 3-2 deficit in NBA playoff history — but the Knicks are coming off their best all-around performance of the series.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
Its current office building in the area would be demolished.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2025
-
Facing greater competition and sensing more opportunity, the owners decided to close the hotel at the end of May and demolish the building next year.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
But the illusion of paradise is shattered when another guest is found dead and Gabriel becomes the prime suspect.—
Laura Thompson,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
-
The event shattered the records for participation in a online chess game, passing the previous record of 70,000 set for the ‘Vishy vs. The World’ last year.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
21 May 2025
Verb
-
His cabin was a few miles south of the one the bear wrecked for for me, closer to the fringe of settlement.—
Ted Updike,
Outdoor Life,
22 May 2025
-
That meant late nights, early wake-ups, work events, and heels that wreck your feet, plus years of jet lag from endless travel.—
Jessica Sibley,
Time,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devastate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastate. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share