ravaged
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of ravaged
First recorded in 1650–60; ravage ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective; ravage ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb
Explanation
When something is ravaged, it's ruined. A terrible fire could leave behind nothing but the ravaged remains of your house and possessions. Use the adjective ravaged when you describe something that's been wrecked, especially in a violent way. War tends to leave ravaged cities behind, and even a high wind can result in a ravaged back yard, strewn with tree branches. The French root of ravaged is ravager, "lay waste or devastate," which comes from the Old French ravage, "destroy," or most commonly, "destroy by flood."
Vocabulary lists containing ravaged
This Week in Words: September 4 - 8, 2017
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This Week in Words: March 17- 23, 2018
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Salt to the Sea
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ravaged homes are surrounded by fallen trees and furniture on lawns.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2025
Ravaged by wildfire, it is not rebuilt homes but the shiny plastic of greenhouses that gleams between the charred black skeletons of the forest.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 3, 2022
Ravaged by omicron, Brooklyn has had its past three games postponed and will have seven players, including Durant, Irving and LaMarcus Aldridge, in the protocols on Christmas.
From Washington Post • Dec. 25, 2021
Ravaged this season by injuries - especially in the secondary - Baltimore faced a difficult task trying to stop Rodgers and the Green Bay receivers.
From Washington Times • Dec. 19, 2021
Ravaged all, Bogc tabal Timore toron Totoo now gone.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
