devastating

[dev-uh-stey-ting]

adjective

1. tending or threatening to devastate.

   a devastating fire.

2. satirical, ironic, or caustic in an effective way.

   a devastating portrayal of society.

devastating

/ ˈdɛvəˌsteɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. extremely effective in a destructive way

   a devastating war

   a devastating report on urban deprivation

Other Word Forms

• devastatingly adverb
• undevastating adjective
• undevastatingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of devastating¹

First recorded in 1625–35; devastat(e) + -ing ²

Example Sentences

“It would have been devastating to be on the other end of that,” Lanning said.

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Gretzky had scored at a devastating clip for an absurdly long time—20 NHL seasons that saw him turn from a wiry 18-year-old into the league’s elder statesman.

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He has surrendered no runs and struck out three, overpowering opposing hitters with a 100-mph fastball and a devastating splitter.

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A quietly devastating family drama, it tells the story of a boy from Ramallah who wants to visit the sea in Tel Aviv.

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“The whole thing is still devastating and so many people are traumatized, and unnecessarily so,” Tobiska said.

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Related Words

• calamitous 
• destructive 
• disastrous 
• overwhelming