devastate

[dev-uh-steyt]

See more synonyms for devastate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing.

to lay waste; render desolate: The invaders devastated the city.
to overwhelm.

Origin of devastate

1625–35; < Latin dēvastātus laid waste (past participle of dēvastāre), equivalent to dē- de- + vast(āre) to lay waste (akin to vastus empty) + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsdev·as·ta·tive, adjectivedev·as·ta·tor, nounun·dev·as·tat·ed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See ravage.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for devastate

ruin, raze, ravage, wreck, smash, desolate, raid, level, pillage, trash, sack, despoil, plunder, devour, spoil, total, waste, desecrate, depredate, spoliate

Examples from the Web for devastate

Contemporary Examples of devastate

Grotesque profiteering aside, life release ceremonies can devastate the eco-system.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma
Brendon Hong
December 28, 2014
If Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for a new offensive, he could devastate Ukrainian forces.
Thousands of Putin’s Troops Now in Ukraine, Analysts Say
Shane Harris
November 11, 2014
A Grad is a multiple rocket launcher designed to devastate a defined but extensive area.
MH17 Black Box ‘Sent to Moscow for Investigation’
Anna Nemtsova
July 17, 2014
Kenneth recognizes the terrible truths of our existence: that gun violence will continue to devastate and degrade everyone.
If Gun Violence Is A Disease, These People Might Just Be The Cure
Moral Courage
April 1, 2014
They'd devastate priorities like education, energy, and medical research.
Full Text and Video of President Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address
Justin Green
February 13, 2013

Historical Examples of devastate

The gale hurried on to devastate fresh fields and pastures new.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill
Of what use to him would it be to devastate this little realm?
The World Beyond
Raymond King Cummings
That stream when it overfloods will devastate its borders and destroy its bridges.
Psychotherapy
Hugo Mnsterberg
He grants us lands for pastures and abodes To devastate them by his iron roads.
Custer, and Other Poems.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Let her arise, not to devastate and to conquer, but to reëstablish the reign of peace and law.
America First
Various

British Dictionary definitions for devastate

devastate

verb (tr)

to lay waste or make desolate; ravage; destroy
to confound or overwhelm, as with grief or shock

Derived Formsdevastation, noundevastative, adjectivedevastator, noun

Word Origin for devastate

C17: from Latin dēvastāre, from de- + vastāre to ravage; related to vastus waste, empty

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for devastate

1630s, perhaps a back-formation from devastation. Apparently not common until 19c.; earlier verb form devast is attested from 1530s, from Middle French devaster. Related: devastated; devastating.