devastated

American

[dev-uh-stey-tid] / ˈdɛv əˌsteɪ tɪd /

adjective

laid waste; made desolate.

After the earthquake there were concerns about asbestos in the rubble of many of the devastated houses.
overwhelmed or shocked, especially by profound loss, disappointment, humiliation, etc..

I’m grateful that no one I knew personally died in the hurricane, but my heart goes out to all those devastated families.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of devastate.

Other Word Forms

undevastated

adjective

Etymology

Origin of devastated

devastate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

Many will be sent back to war zones and countries devastated by natural disasters.

From Salon • Jun. 28, 2026

He said that "unfortunately, we are seeing a parallel collapse of the infrastructure, and also the incapacity of the state to provide timely rescue support for the people in the devastated areas".

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said some of the heaviest damage was reported in residential and commercial districts of east Caracas, the same seismically active areas that were devastated in an earthquake in 1967.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

Teenager Yenderlin Cabarza waited alone in an emergency room on Thursday, her bones broken by two powerful earthquakes that devastated Venezuela the day before.

From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026

“My son, my greatest pride ... my poor May ...” He sounded so devastated I didn’t know what to say.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023