Devastation

//ˌdɛ.vəˈsteɪ.ʃən// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of devastating, or the state of being devastated; a laying waste. countable, uncountable

    "Perhaps as startling as the sheer toll was the devastation to some of the state’s well-known locales. Boardwalks along the beach in Seaside Heights, Belmar and other towns on the Jersey Shore were blown away. Amusement parks, arcades and restaurants all but vanished. Bridges to barrier islands buckled, preventing residents from even inspecting the damage to their property."

  2. 2
    the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists wordnet
  3. 3
    Waste or misapplication of the assets of a deceased person by an executor or administrator; devastavit. countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    plundering with excessive damage and destruction wordnet
  5. 5
    an event that results in total destruction wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    the feeling of being confounded or overwhelmed wordnet
  2. 7
    the state of being decayed or destroyed wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
desolationdestructionhavocravagewastebloodbath

Example

More examples

"The devastation in Kobe was as terrible as I had imagined."

Etymology

From Middle French dévastation.

Related phrases

lay waste

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.