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.
The state government says a toxic algal bloom that has ravaged the state's coastline for more than 18 months may be to blame for the sharp decline.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Rescue crews in helicopters have been plucking survivors from along the valleys ravaged in the tsunami-like flow of water and debris apparently unleashed by a glacier's collapse.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
The blaze broke out in an area that was ravaged by massive fires in 1911, during a similar period of heatwaves and drought.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
It creaked past his shelter, past the collapsed buildings and ravaged orchards towards the west, away from the Yellow Line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
Abandoned factories, with rows of small square windows partly bashed in, ravaged as if by moths.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
