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Glite Dictionary
sacked

sacked

7.8
A place that soldiers steal from and destroy during an attack
  • adjective
  • /sækt/
translation icon : saqueado
  • The city lay sacked after the brutal invasion, its buildings in ruins.

Examples

  • The museum was sacked during the chaos of the war, leading to the loss of priceless artifacts.

  • When the soldiers left, they found the village sacked and its inhabitants traumatized.

  • Yet by the play's end, his keep has been sacked by an army disguised as trees, and Duncan's son Malcolm has reclaimed the throne.

Synonyms

pillaged
vssacked
7.2

Robbed and badly damaged during war or fighting

is focused on attacks by invading armies
plundered
vssacked
6.1

Robbed and emptied of things during war or chaos

also stresses violent destruction by organized military forces
despoiled
vssacked
8.7

Something that has had valuable things taken by force

highlights invasion as a common cause of the damage
looted
vssacked
5.3

A place that had things stolen during a riot or war

places more emphasis on armed attack and wide destruction
ransacked
vssacked
6.0

A place where people searched everywhere and stole valuable things

stresses large-scale looting combined with destruction by invading forces
ravaged
vssacked
5.9

Badly damaged by violence or natural disaster

adds the idea of systematic theft by attacking armies
raped
vssacked
  • Offensive
9.4

Severely damaged or destroyed by people using force

is used more for attacks by invading armies that destroy places

Antonyms

protected
1 2.0

Kept safe from harm or danger

How Destroyed

ravaged
5.9
sacked
7.8
pillaged
7.2
plundered
6.1
looted
5.3

Surface Forms

sacked positive

Morphology

sacked = sack (semi-transparent) = sack + ed

The verb 'sack' is known, but the specific historical context of plundering in war may not be immediately clear to all learners.

Etymology

Sacked comes from sack, which meant 'bag' and later 'to fill a bag' with goods. Imagine soldiers filling bags with a town's items and leaving it empty and broken, so a sacked place is one that has been robbed and destroyed.