devastation
- noun
- /ˌdɛvəˈsteɪʃən/
- 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.
- OK, Earthquakes cause the amount of devastation on the order of a World War.
- And Trump addressed the devastation this hurricane caused to him.
- But I've always had a dislike of drugs because of the devastation it does to families really.
- We can find the tiny lost diamond in the midst of the devastation.
- And it was traumatic for me because you essentially see nuclear devastation and like how this plays out.
- Vietnam was the first war when we actually saw pictures of devastation made by war.
- In less than one lifetime, South Korea climbed from total devastation to among the wealthiest nations on earth.
- Like that earthquake hit in Lisbon, you know, the centre of, of, of the church at that time, causing untold devastation.
- Fellow citizens in Puerto Rico, Texas, Florida and parts of Louisiana suffered catastrophic devastation.
- Because of the devastation that I helped create.
Examples
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The hurricane caused widespread devastation along the coastal towns, destroying homes and livelihoods.
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Soon, cable news is broadcasting scenes of vast devastation from the Capitol.
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When they come in, they just take everything and leave devastation in its wake.
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The devastation really is extensive.
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And this is the devastation of what it looks like when you get a flood like that.
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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.
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Our department has never seen such murder and utter devastation as this.
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It's a scene of devastation and heartbreak in California, as rescue workers sift through what remains of the northern portion of the state.
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Sarah Jane Patterson witnessed the devastation that the war had brought upon her former master's plantation.
Academic text (2008)
Synonyms
A sudden event that causes great damage, loss, or failure
Severe damage that makes something no longer exist or cannot be fixed
A sudden terrible event that causes great damage and suffering
Great damage to a wide area often caused by war or a big disaster
A state of complete destruction or loss
Great damage and confusion that makes things stop working
Violent disorder and chaos that causes damage or a lot of trouble
A terrible event that causes much harm and suffering
Very large destruction that causes many deaths, often from fire or war
A sudden violent event that causes great destruction or change
An area left empty and ruined after a disaster
Complete destruction that leaves nothing behind
Serious harm that affects a large area or many things
Damage across a large area that destroys buildings and homes
A wide area that is badly damaged, often by war or natural disaster
A state of complete destruction that leaves a place ruined
Severe damage that makes something unusable
A state when something is very broken and falling apart
Antonyms
How Devastating
Surface Forms
Morphology
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.