ravage

[ rav-ij ]

/ ˈræv ɪdʒ /

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See synonyms for: ravage / ravaged / ravages / ravaging on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), rav·aged, rav·ag·ing.

to work havoc upon; damage or mar by ravages: a face ravaged by grief.

verb (used without object), rav·aged, rav·ag·ing.

to work havoc; do ruinous damage.

noun

havoc; ruinous damage: the ravages of war.

devastating or destructive action.

OTHER WORDS FOR ravage

1 ruin, despoil, plunder, pillage, sack.

4 ruin, waste, desolation.

See synonyms for ravage on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR ravage

1 build, repair.

4 creation.

See antonyms for ravage on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of ravage

First recorded in 1605–15; from French, Middle French, equivalent to rav(ir) “to snatch away, ravish” + -age noun suffix; see ravish, -age

synonym study for ravage

1. Ravage, devastate, lay waste all refer, in their literal application, to the wholesale destruction of a countryside by an invading army (or something comparable). Lay waste has remained the closest to the original meaning of destruction of land: The invading army laid waste the towns along the coast. But ravage and devastate are used in reference to other types of violent destruction and may also have a purely figurative application. Ravage is often used of the results of epidemics: The Black Plague ravaged 14th-century Europe; and even of the effect of disease or suffering on the human countenance: a face ravaged by despair. Devastate, in addition to its concrete meaning ( vast areas devastated by bombs ), may be used figuratively: a devastating remark.

OTHER WORDS FROM ravage

rav·age·ment, nounrav·ag·er, nounun·rav·aged, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ravage

ravage , ravish

How to use ravage in a sentence

The ravages of disease on society intensify the headaches involved in obtaining unbiased, consistent patient data, and they amplify the fickleness and irrationality of human behaviors that the models need to mirror.
The Hard Lessons of Modeling the Coronavirus Pandemic|Jordana Cepelewicz|January 28, 2021|Quanta Magazine
Dinosaur fossils can be, for lack of a better term, rather bare-bones—particularly in their delicate, easily-destroyed nether regions, which can fall prey to the ravages of scavengers, or an explosive release of postmortem gas.
This fossilized butthole gives us a rare window into dinosaur sex|Ellie Shechet|January 20, 2021|Popular-Science
They had shipped off to war expecting to battle Taliban fighters, build schools and protect innocent villagers from the ravages of a merciless enemy.
An unusual mission in Afghanistan, and the troops who suffered to carry it out|Greg Jaffe|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
Today, after a year marked by the economic ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, the nascent industry’s total market value has exploded above $670 billion as of press time.
Coinbase CEO issues a warning to investors about Bitcoin risk|rhhackettfortune|December 17, 2020|Fortune

As the ravages of the novel coronavirus forced millions of people out of work, shuttered businesses and shrank the value of retirement accounts, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged to a three-year low.
Georgia Senate runoff: Republican Perdue boosted his wealth with well-timed stock trades|Lee Clifford|November 28, 2020|Fortune
The truth is that a horrific, incurable virus is ravaging Guinea—and at least three other countries in West Africa.
The Fear That Killed Eight Ebola Workers|Abby Haglage|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We resemble a successful lichen, a ravaging bloom of algae, a mold enveloping a fruit,” reads the text.
The Hottest Show on Earth|Olivia Cole|December 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Her life may have been materially rich, but it has been emotionally ravaging.
If Hillary Is Worthy, Then So Is Caroline|Geraldine Brooks|December 17, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Then they headed west as far as Furness, burning and ravaging without opposition.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
Didn't you complain to my son last night of a wild boar that had been ravaging your garden?
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence|Eugne Sue
He died in February 1598 while 82 the plague was ravaging Carlisle, and was buried in the cathedral.
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle|C. King Eley
Nassau replied by ravaging the country up to the walls of Arnhem, the Gueldres capital.
The Age of Erasmus|P. S. Allen
Ravaging the land, they compelled the elector Maximilian to sign a truce and to withdraw his troops from the imperial army.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ravage

ravage

/ (ˈrævɪdʒ) /

verb

to cause extensive damage to

noun

(often plural) destructive actionthe ravages of time

Derived forms of ravage

ravagement, nounravager, noun

Word Origin for ravage

C17: from French, from Old French ravir to snatch away, ravish

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ravage

OTHER WORDS FOR ravage

OPPOSITES FOR ravage

Origin of ravage

synonym study for ravage

OTHER WORDS FROM ravage

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ravage

Words related to ravage

How to use ravage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ravage

Derived forms of ravage

Word Origin for ravage