1
as in to ravage
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
the city was devastated, first by the earthquake and then by fires
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
the explosion devastated an entire city block
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to overwhelm
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
we were devastated by the awful news of his death
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of devastate
The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder.
—
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 May 2025
Johnson was devastated about her daughter’s death and told Fox 8 that their family was still processing their grief.
—Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 22 May 2025
Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Beyond the immediate dead, the refugees, destroyed agriculture, loss of economic capacity, all would utterly devastate China.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for devastate
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 May 2025
Johnson was devastated about her daughter’s death and told Fox 8 that their family was still processing their grief.
—Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 22 May 2025
Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025
Beyond the immediate dead, the refugees, destroyed agriculture, loss of economic capacity, all would utterly devastate China.
—Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for devastate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devastate
Verb
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Fraser delivers a brimstone sermon worthy of a Baptist preacher at a tent revival, raging at plutocrats who ravage those with less (or nothing at all).—
Hamilton Cain,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
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Injuries have ravaged Houston’s starting rotation to an almost unrecognizable state.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Another key feature of algae oil is its high smoke point of 535 degrees—the temperature at which oil begins to break down, release dangerous chemicals, and destroy its nutrients.—
Jonathan Purtell,
Verywell Health,
27 May 2025
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During the week of my embed, the Russian military identified and destroyed a few of the Vampire pilots’ positions.—
Nataliya Gumenyuk,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2025
Verb
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For example, colorful hardware in a small kitchen with a lot of cabinets can overwhelm the space with visual clutter rather than color.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 June 2025
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Almost immediately, the new facility was overwhelmed: Between the year of its founding and 1887, 44 percent of the women admitted into San Clemente were pellagrous.—
Asia London Palomba,
Smithsonian Magazine,
6 June 2025
Verb
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There were missions that felt like a rally racing mini-game, asking me to navigate between timer-extending rings dotting barren desert ruins.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2025
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The situation took a turn when Amy accidentally ruined her earbuds in the wash.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Learning how to overcome your own anxiety is the first step to helping your kids do the same, said Robbins.—
Ashton Jackson,
CNBC,
30 May 2025
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The odds remain against them — only 16.1% of teams have overcome a 3-2 deficit in NBA playoff history — but the Knicks are coming off their best all-around performance of the series.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
30 May 2025
Verb
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In 2012, Texas Wesleyan went to the city’s historic and cultural landmarks commission seeking permission to demolish the home for further campus expansion, but were denied.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2025
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Goldschmidt has demolished the NL Central in his career, with a slash line of .291/.388/.527 in almost 550 games played.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Whatever credibility the report might have had as a product of a federal agency was shattered by its obvious errors, misrepresentations and outright fabrications of source materials, some of it plainly the product of the authors’ reliance on AI bots.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2025
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That puts them on pace to win just 25 games in 2025, which would shatter the record set by the White Sox.—
Kendall Capps,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 June 2025
Verb
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During testimony, Lance Jimenez of the Los Angeles Fire Department recalled a 2012 incident in which an explosion wrecked a Porsche owned by Scott Mescudi, professionally known as Kid Cudi.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
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Walls were wrecked by artillery blasts and gunfire.—
Emmanuel Akinwotu,
NPR,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devastate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastate. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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