devastating
Americanadjective
-
tending or threatening to devastate.
a devastating fire.
-
satirical, ironic, or caustic in an effective way.
a devastating portrayal of society.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- devastatingly adverb
- undevastating adjective
- undevastatingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of devastating
First recorded in 1625–35; devastat(e) + -ing 2
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.
"It's devastating for a town like this, I'm just surprised and disappointed it has been allowed to get to this stage."
From BBC
This week has shown how utterly devastating and shocking meningitis can be.
From BBC
Natural disasters are inevitable, but often, the most devastating slumber for decades, sometimes centuries, only awakening when provoked.
From Salon
Sir Chris told BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast that it took him a while to work out how best to deal with such a devastating diagnosis.
From BBC
If so, Super Micro could lose out on its supply of Nvidia graphics processing units, “which in turn could have devastating impact” on the server maker, Newman wrote.
From MarketWatch
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.
