devastate

American  

[dev-uh-steyt] / ˈdɛv əˌsteɪt /

verb (used with object)

devastated, devastating

1. to lay waste; render desolate.

   The invaders devastated the city.

   Synonyms:

   level, ruin, raze, despoil, sack, destroy

   Antonyms:

   develop, erect, create

2. to overwhelm, as with grief or dismay: Those rumors appeared to have devastated her.

   We are devastated by this news and deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of our friend.

   Those rumors appeared to have devastated her.

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devastate British  

/ ˈdɛvəˌsteɪt /

verb

1. to lay waste or make desolate; ravage; destroy

2. to confound or overwhelm, as with grief or shock

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Related Words

See ravage.

Other Word Forms

• devastation noun
• devastative adjective
• devastator noun

Etymology

Origin of devastate

First recorded in 1630–40; from Latin dēvastātus “laid waste” (past participle of dēvastāre ), equivalent to dē- + vast(āre) “to lay waste” (akin to vastus “empty”) + -ātus; de-, waste ( def. ), -ate ¹

Explanation

If a storm devastates your town, it comes pretty close to destroying it. To devastate is to cause destruction to or overwhelm. Really bad news can devastate a person, or leave them devastated. They are so upset, they feel crushed. A basketball team can devastate an opponent by running roughshod over their defense. The root of the word is the Latin vastare which means to lay waste, which comes from vastus meaning desolate or empty. Imagine a city laid waste after a major earthquake and you've got the picture!

Example Sentences

Two southeast Los Angeles cities proposed a sales tax increase to offset the financial impact of California’s blackjack ban, which officials said would devastate their local economies.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

If both spouses eventually need care, the numbers can devastate even substantial nest eggs.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

Surging memory prices are expected to devastate the electronics market, forcing rival phone makers to raise prices and affecting Android devices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

Investors worried that a plug-in for Anthropic’s Claude model would devastate their businesses.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

But he had no way of knowing that Soviet commanders in Cuba also had dozens of short-range nuclear weapons—tactical weapons, designed to devastate enemies on the battlefield.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• ravage
• raze
• ruin
• wreck