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
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.
“If it’s sentimental to you and you would be devastated if you lost it, it’s not something you want to leave,” she says.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026
Many areas of Venezuela devastated by last week's twin earthquakes have yet to receive significant government help, leaving residents to carry out much of the rescue effort.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
Many will be sent back to war zones and countries devastated by natural disasters.
From Salon • Jun. 28, 2026
The death of his wife, Martha, in 1782, when she was only 33, so devastated him that for weeks the sight of their children, now motherless, made him swoon.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
He was overjoyed that he’d pulled himself out of the abyss in which he’d found himself in the tournament’s first half, but devastated that he hadn’t won first prize.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
