devastate

[ dev-uh-steyt ]

/ ˈdɛv əˌsteɪt /

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.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for devastated

Their home probably will be devastated, too, but they received no demolition notice.
In Jerusalem Home Demolitions, the Biblical Justice of Revenge|Creede Newton|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Of course, the South was much stronger than in the 1870s, not devastated by a war and extremely well represented in Congress.
How Rock and Roll Killed Jim Crow|Dennis McNally|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Devastated and utterly embarrassed, I meekly raised my hand.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More|Gary Wright|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the town of Moore was no longer known just for the tornado that devastated it a year ago.
The Muslim Convert Behind America’s First Workplace Beheading|Michael Daly|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The African American community has been devastated by HIV, especially in the South.
Dissed By Her Doctor for Wanting HIV Protection|Heather Boerner|September 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Penn's studies at Lincoln's Inn were interrupted by the great plague that swept over London and devastated the city.
William Penn|Rupert S. Holland
His endeavour, for instance, to put a stop to the slave raiding which devastated the Sudan provinces was wholly ineffectual.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 1|Various
Poland, Galicia, parts of Hungary and Russia have been devastated.
Modern American Prose Selections|Various
The principal labour of the month consisted in preparing for wheat the ground that the inundation had devastated.
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Vol. 2|David Collins
He destroyed the railroads, and devastated the country from which the Confederacy was drawing its supplies.
The Land We Live In|Henry Mann

British Dictionary definitions for devastated

devastate

/ (ˈdɛvəˌsteɪt) /

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 devastated

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.

devastate

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

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Origin of devastate

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for devastated

British Dictionary definitions for devastated

devastate

verb (tr)

Word Origin for devastate

Word Origin and History for devastated

devastate