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devastation

devastation

90 4.8
Great destruction that leaves places badly damaged, for example after a war or storm
  • noun
  • /ˌdɛvəˈsteɪʃən/
translation icon : devastación
  • But in 1995, he saw the devastation firsthand in his field near Halsey, Oregon.
  • cause devastation
  • the devastation of war
  • environmental devastation

OK, Earthquakes cause the amount of devastation on the order of a World War.

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Examples

  • The hurricane caused widespread devastation along the coastal towns, destroying homes and livelihoods.

  • Soon, cable news is broadcasting scenes of vast devastation from the Capitol.

  • When they come in, they just take everything and leave devastation in its wake.

  • The devastation really is extensive.

  • And this is the devastation of what it looks like when you get a flood like that.

  • The house was in a far worse state of devastation than I imagined.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I can remember the devastation, the destruction, cities turned to dust.

  • Our department has never seen such murder and utter devastation as this.

  • It's a scene of devastation and heartbreak in California, as rescue workers sift through what remains of the northern portion of the state.

  • Sarah Jane Patterson witnessed the devastation that the war had brought upon her former master's plantation.

    Academic text (2008)

Synonyms

disaster
vsdevastation
1.0

A sudden event that causes great damage, loss, or failure

stresses the long lasting widespread damage rather than the single event
destruction
vsdevastation
849 3.0

Severe damage that makes something no longer exist or cannot be fixed

is about very large scale damage often from war or disaster
catastrophe
vsdevastation
176 7.0

A sudden terrible event that causes great damage and suffering

describes the widespread severe damage itself rather than the sudden event
mass destruction
vsdevastation
  • NSFW
110 4.3

Great damage to a wide area often caused by war or a big disaster

emphasizes human or weapon caused scale rather than isolated damage events
ruin
vsdevastation
100 3.2

A state of complete destruction or loss

is more about very extensive damage caused by disasters or violence
havoc
vsdevastation
96 5.1

Great damage and confusion that makes things stop working

highlights severe physical harm rather than chaotic disruption or disorder
mayhem
vsdevastation
68 7.3

Violent disorder and chaos that causes damage or a lot of trouble

refers to widespread severe damage rather than disorderly violent chaos
calamity
vsdevastation
49 6.7

A terrible event that causes much harm and suffering

is concerned with the large scale damage aftermath rather than the nature of the event
holocaust
vsdevastation
  • NSFW
31 9.6

Very large destruction that causes many deaths, often from fire or war

focuses on great physical damage without the necessary human death element
cataclysm
vsdevastation
19 9.2

A sudden violent event that causes great destruction or change

is more about the resulting widespread damage than the violent event
desolation
vsdevastation
11 7.7

An area left empty and ruined after a disaster

stresses large scale damage often showing emptiness and abandonment
obliteration
vsdevastation
6 7.9

Complete destruction that leaves nothing behind

refers to very large damage without insisting on absolute disappearance
widespread damage
vsdevastation
3 3.8

Serious harm that affects a large area or many things

is the stronger idea of total loss rather than general harm
widespread destruction
vsdevastation
1 4.8

Damage across a large area that destroys buildings and homes

covers massive damage but can also refer to smaller local losses
swath of destruction
vsdevastation
1 6.5

A wide area that is badly damaged, often by war or natural disaster

is the general concept of great damage not limited to area size
vastation
vsdevastation
  • Archaic
9.9

A state of complete destruction that leaves a place ruined

focuses on large area loss rather than a simple act of harm
wrack
vsdevastation
  • Archaic
8.9

Severe damage that makes something unusable

emphasizes wide or severe damage rather than internal collapse alone
wrack and ruin
vsdevastation
  • Archaic
7.8

A state when something is very broken and falling apart

refers to large scale harm often affecting places and structures broadly

Antonyms

823 2.0

Work of building things like houses, roads or bridges

98 3.4

The act of returning something to its original state

How Devastating

annihilation
  • NSFW
47 8.1
devastation
90 4.8
destruction
849 3.0
to damage
885 1.4

Surface Forms

devastation singular
devastations plural

Morphology

devastation = devastate (transparent) = devastate + ion

A regular noun formed from the verb 'devastate' indicating the act or result of destroying, so the meaning is directly predictable.

Etymology

Devastation comes from the Latin verb devastare, made from de- 'completely' and vastus 'empty' or 'waste', and you can see the same root in the English word vast ('very large' or 'empty'). So, devastation means great destruction that leaves a place empty and ruined.