devastation
AmericanEtymology
Origin of devastation
1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin dēvastātiōn- (stem of dēvastātiō ), equivalent to Latin dēvastāt ( us ) ( devastate ) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
When there's devastation, there's terrible destruction. You can see the devastation from a violent hurricane and feel devastation over all the people that were injured. When a natural disaster causes widespread death and destruction, that's devastation. This is a strong word that suggests serious damage has occurred, leaving almost nothing left. One knocked over car isn't devastation, but a whole town being wiped out is. People can also feel devastation — it's a kind of extreme sadness or state of feeling emotionally wrecked.
Vocabulary lists containing devastation
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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.
Although the cyclone's devastation surpassed the impact of the 2004 tsunami, international assistance was not immediately forthcoming.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
Pope Francis never made a state visit to France and declined to attend the opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2024, five years after its devastation by fire.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
Plaza later broke her silence about her struggle to deal with her grief, telling fellow comedian Amy Poehler that her devastation felt like a “giant ocean of awfulness.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
Witnesses testified about the devastation caused by a nationwide downturn in television and film production that has hit California particularly hard.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
There, mayor Kotaku Wamura, who had seen the devastation caused by the 1933 tsunami, had insisted that the village’s floodgate be 51 feet tall.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
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.
