ravaged

[ rav-ijd ]

adjective

1. ruinously damaged or marred:

   After the war they were faced with a ravaged landscape and a deeply scarred population.

   Her heart contracted with pity when she saw the ravaged face and red, swollen eyes of her friend.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of ravage.

Other Words From

• un·rav·aged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ravaged¹

First recorded in 1650–60; ravage ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective; ravage ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb

Example Sentences

The scene seemed utterly unremarkable — except for the fact that five days earlier, the H5N1 bird flu virus that has ravaged California’s dairy herds for the last three months, had been confirmed on the farm.

From Los Angeles Times

Three House Republicans from Western North Carolina, which was ravaged by the hurricane, voted against the sham “hurricane relief” bill.

From Slate

Israeli bombardment has ravaged large swaths of the country, killed almost 3,300 people and displaced a quarter of the population.

From Los Angeles Times

Recently, neighbors gathered on the street for the first time since fire ravaged their homes.

From Los Angeles Times

But in neighborhoods that were ravaged by the fire on Wednesday, the painful process of assessing the damage is just beginning.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• broken
• demolished
• devastated
• lost
• ruined
• shattered
• smashed
• wrecked