devastated
Americanadjective
-
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of devastated
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.
“This was a war game in a residential neighborhood recently devastated by catastrophic fire that took place in a weeknight, in the middle of the night.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
His parents and sister were in shock, and his wife, Erika, was utterly devastated.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, whose mandate is to protect swimmers from attacks, says nets have helped significantly reduce fatal encounters since the 1950s, when a spate of attacks devastated local tourism.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
While the players were devastated at the loss in the final in Budapest, Hungary on Saturday, that did not dampen the celebrations on Sunday.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
When, at the age of seven, the fourth cat was diagnosed with feline leukemia, my mother was devastated.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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.
