devastating

[ dev-uh-stey-ting ]
/ ˈdɛv əˌsteɪ tɪŋ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR devastating ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

tending or threatening to devastate: a devastating fire.
satirical, ironic, or caustic in an effective way: a devastating portrayal of society.

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Origin of devastating

First recorded in 1625–35; devastate + -ing2

OTHER WORDS FROM devastating

dev·as·tat·ing·ly, adverbun·dev·as·tat·ing, adjectiveun·dev·as·tat·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby devastating

devaluationist, devalue, devanagari, devascularization, devastate, devastating, devastation, devein, devel., develop, developable surface

Definition for devastating (2 of 2)

devastate
[ dev-uh-steyt ]
/ ˈdɛv əˌsteɪt /

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

synonym study for devastate

1. See ravage.

OTHER WORDS FROM devastate

dev·as·ta·tive, adjectivedev·as·ta·tor, nounun·dev·as·tat·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to devastating

overwhelming, calamitous, disastrous, destructive, crushing, mortifying, biting, caustic, incisive

Example sentences from the Web for devastating

British Dictionary definitions for devastating (1 of 2)

devastating
/ (ˈdɛvəˌsteɪtɪŋ) /

adjective

extremely effective in a destructive waya devastating war; a devastating report on urban deprivation

Derived forms of devastating

devastatingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for devastating (2 of 2)

devastate
/ (ˈdɛvəˌsteɪt) /

verb (tr)

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

Derived forms of devastate

devastation, 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