devastation
AmericanOther Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of devastation
1425–75; late Middle English < Late Latin dēvastātiōn- (stem of dēvastātiō ), equivalent to Latin dēvastāt ( us ) ( see 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.
See Examples For:
As Celtic unloaded on Hearts at Celtic Park it was football's equivalent of Thunder's devastation; speed and accuracy and ruthlessness in the face of a challenger akin to a rabbit caught in the headlights.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
That devastation defines the region Ukraine has just recaptured.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Two of the strongest on record, in 1982-83 and 1997-98, saw very wet winters that left a trail of devastation in California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Early on, Mr. Altman compared AI to nuclear power and was concerned that if the technology went rogue, it could cause devastation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The sweeping devastation was giving rise to powerful new social forces.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
They are still hurting, still missing the loved ones they lost, and they must surely be forever on alert for similar devastations that could come and upend their lives again.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Indus River, which caused much of the devastations in Sindh, is now at normal levels, though authorities say it will take another two months to completely drain the water.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2022
In the face of these potential devastations, what’s to come is less a matter of promise than resignation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2021
It lends a discordant note to this riotous, hilarious book, which achieves depth through Brown’s strong feeling for both the quiet and the noisy devastations wrought by ambition, fame, personal tragedy and time.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 14, 2020
Understanding, likewise, that the Romans were gone, never to return any more, they now, in a more insolent manner than before, began their devastations in the island.
From Old English Chronicles by Various
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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.
