devastating
adjective
dev·as·tat·ing
ˈde-və-ˌstā-tiŋ 
1
: causing great damage or harm
a devastating flood/earthquake
a devastating injury
A devastating coastal tsunami could also result from a severe displacement of the San Andreas Fault.—
Gary Sandquist
Gary Sandquist2
: causing extreme emotional pain
a devastating loss
Even the most banal domestic melodramas, readers come to understand, are experienced as devastating tragedies by children living them for the first time.—Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly3
: extremely effective or powerful
a devastating satire
He had a devastating wit and an utter contempt for shoddy work in physics.—Jeremy Bernstein
Jeremy Bernstein
devastatingly
adverb
Some people recover readily from the infection, but in others it becomes disseminated, spreading rapidly and devastatingly from lungs to bones, skin and nervous system
—Lawrence Galton
Lawrence Galton
Postcards from the Edge is a devastatingly savvy, bitingly funny, yet sad movie based on Carrie Fisher's autobiographical novel about Hollywood.
—Jeffrey Lyons
Jeffrey Lyons
… is portrayed as a devastatingly effective power broker in the Senate.
—Alan Brinkley
Alan Brinkley
Synonyms
Examples of devastating in a Sentence
a devastating blow to our morale
Recent Examples on the Web
This social isolation and loss of support – even from close friends and family members – is a devastating and often unrecognized side effect of the disease.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
The effort by Edwards — a first-term lawmaker who represents Asheville, which took devastating storm damage — was centered on a letter sent to his constituents after the storm debunking myths and listing eight incorrect statements that had circulated, some of which were amplified by GOP lawmakers.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 17 Dec. 2024
The devastating storm has left hundreds, possibly thousands, dead, though as of Tuesday morning, only 21 deaths have been officially reported, according to Tortoise Media.
—Tom Howarth, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
One of the nation’s longest and most cherished holiday traditions was extra special this year, serving a region impacted by devastating storms.
—Stephanie Gallman Jordan, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2024
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Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
The effort by Edwards — a first-term lawmaker who represents Asheville, which took devastating storm damage — was centered on a letter sent to his constituents after the storm debunking myths and listing eight incorrect statements that had circulated, some of which were amplified by GOP lawmakers.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 17 Dec. 2024
The devastating storm has left hundreds, possibly thousands, dead, though as of Tuesday morning, only 21 deaths have been officially reported, according to Tortoise Media.
—Tom Howarth, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
One of the nation’s longest and most cherished holiday traditions was extra special this year, serving a region impacted by devastating storms.
—Stephanie Gallman Jordan, Southern Living, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for devastating
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Cite this Entry
“Devastating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devastating. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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