devastating

UK: /ˈdɛvəsteɪtɪŋ/ US: /ˈdɛvəˌsteɪtɪŋ/ ,(dev′ə stā′ting)

From the verb devastate: (⇒ conjugate)

devastating is: ⓘ

v pres p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dev•as•tat•ing /ˈdɛvəˌsteɪtɪŋ/  adj. 

1. destroying terribly;
   ruining:
   a devastating fire.
2. crushing, shocking, and overwhelming:
   the devastating loss of his sons.
3. cutting;
   cleverly or intelligently said or done:
   devastating arguments against every proposal I made.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dev•as•tat•ing  (dev′ə stā′ting), adj. 

1. tending or threatening to devastate:
   a devastating fire.
2. satirical, ironic, or caustic in an effective way:
   a devastating portrayal of society.

• devastate + -ing² 1625–35

dev′as•tat′ing•ly, adv. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

devastating / ˈdɛvəˌsteɪtɪŋ/ adjective

1. extremely effective in a destructive way: a devastating war, a devastating report on urban deprivation

ˈdevasˌtatingly adverb

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

dev•as•tate /ˈdɛvəˌsteɪt/   v. [~ + object] , -tat•ed, -tat•ing. 

1. to destroy terribly; ruin:
   The fire devastated the city.
2. to overwhelm;
   crush:
   This latest piece of bad news devastated us.

dev•as•ta•tion /ˌdɛvəˈsteɪʃən/  n. 

[uncountable] devastation caused by the earthquake.

dev•as•ta•tor, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

dev•as•tate  (dev′ə stāt′), v.t., -tat•ed, -tat•ing. 

1. to lay waste;
   render desolate:
   The invaders devastated the city.
2. to overwhelm.

• Latin dēvastātus laid waste (past participle of dēvastāre), equivalent. to dē- de- + vast(āre) to lay waste (akin to vastus empty) + -ātus -ate¹
• 1625–35

dev′as•ta′tive, adj. 
dev′as•ta′tor, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. destroy, sack, despoil. See ravage. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

devastate / ˈdɛvəˌsteɪt/ verb (transitive)

1. to lay waste or make desolate; ravage; destroy
2. to confound or overwhelm, as with grief or shock

Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin dēvastāre, from de- + vastāre to ravage; related to vastus waste, empty

ˌdevasˈtation noun

ˈdevasˌtator noun