ravaged
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of ravaged
First recorded in 1650–60; ravage ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective; ravage ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb
Explanation
When something is ravaged, it's ruined. A terrible fire could leave behind nothing but the ravaged remains of your house and possessions. Use the adjective ravaged when you describe something that's been wrecked, especially in a violent way. War tends to leave ravaged cities behind, and even a high wind can result in a ravaged back yard, strewn with tree branches. The French root of ravaged is ravager, "lay waste or devastate," which comes from the Old French ravage, "destroy," or most commonly, "destroy by flood."
Vocabulary lists containing ravaged
This Week in Words: September 4 - 8, 2017
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This Week in Words: March 17- 23, 2018
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Salt to the Sea
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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.
On Jan. 7, 2025, a monstrous fire ravaged his Pacific Palisades neighborhood on the hillside edge of the ocean, reducing his home to ashes.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
The colonial trade also ravaged the archipelago's forests and wrecked communities, with able-bodied men required to offer 40 days of unpaid service to fell trees and build ships under Spanish foremen.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
Why the Chargers drafted him: The massive Burke, 23, provides more depth for an offensive line unit that was ravaged by injury last season.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026
It was faux outrage from a ravaged press.
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026
Gypsy moths arrived in 1983 and have since ravaged considerable acreages of oaks and hickories.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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.
