- present participle of devastate.
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
Etymology
Origin of devastating
First recorded in 1625–35; devastat(e) + -ing 2
Explanation
Something that's shocking and distressing is devastating. Watching the local ice cream shop burn to the ground would be devastating to many neighborhood kids. Incredibly destructive events like earthquakes are devastating, although anything that's tragic, even on a personal level, can also be devastating. It's also used informally to mean incredibly affecting or impressive, like a photographer's devastating images of urban poverty. This meaning came into use in the late 1800s — before that, devastating came right from the Latin word devastare, "to lay waste completely."
Vocabulary lists containing devastating
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Hatchet
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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.
“I was in my bedroom, listening to the radio. I was excited and I heard the whole thing happen and it was a devastating milestone in my life,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
The popularity of incumbent mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, has been dampened by frustration over persistent homelessness and the fallout from devastating wildfires in early 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
Scientists have discovered that certain tumors considered less threatening can contain hidden populations of highly aggressive cancer cells, potentially explaining why some children experience devastating outcomes despite lacking the usual genetic warning signs.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
"Most of the time they're clear but on occasion there will be times when people have picked up serious infections and illnesses and that's obviously devastating for them."
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
He was clearly rattled by his nearly devastating mistake.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
