devastation

dev·as·tate

(dĕv′ə-stāt′)

tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates

1. To lay waste; destroy.

2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark.

[Latin dēvāstāre, dēvāstāt- : dē-, de- + vāstāre, to lay waste (from vāstus, empty, desolate; see euə- in Indo-European roots).]

dev′as·tat′ing·ly adv.

dev′as·ta′tion n.

dev′as·ta′tor n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	devastation - the state of being decayed or destroyed desolation deterioration, impairment - a symptom of reduced quality or strength ruin, ruination - an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction; "you have brought ruin on this entire family" blight - a state or condition being blighted
	2.	devastation - the feeling of being confounded or overwhelmed; "her departure left him in utter devastation" feeling - the experiencing of affective and emotional states; "she had a feeling of euphoria"; "he had terrible feelings of guilt"; "I disliked him and the feeling was mutual"
	3.	devastation - an event that results in total destruction desolation ruination, ruin - an event that results in destruction
	4.	devastation - plundering with excessive damage and destruction ravaging pillaging, plundering, pillage - the act of stealing valuable things from a place; "the plundering of the Parthenon"; "his plundering of the great authors"
	5.	devastation - the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists destruction ending, termination, conclusion - the act of ending something; "the termination of the agreement" disaster - an act that has disastrous consequences kill - the destruction of an enemy plane or ship or tank or missile; "the pilot reported two kills during the mission" laying waste, ruining, wrecking, ruination, ruin - destruction achieved by causing something to be wrecked or ruined demolishing, tearing down, leveling, razing - complete destruction of a building annihilation, obliteration - destruction by annihilating something decimation - destroying or killing a large part of the population (literally every tenth person as chosen by lot) self-destruction - the act of destroying yourself; "his insistence was pure self-destruction" neutralisation, neutralization - (euphemism) the removal of a threat by killing or destroying it (especially in a covert operation or military operation) sabotage - a deliberate act of destruction or disruption in which equipment is damaged extermination, liquidation - the act of exterminating holocaust - an act of mass destruction and loss of life (especially in war or by fire); "a nuclear holocaust" demolition - the act of demolishing spoliation - (law) the intentional destruction of a document or an alteration of it that destroys its value as evidence hooliganism, malicious mischief, vandalism - willful wanton and malicious destruction of the property of others

devastation

noun

1. destruction, ruin, havoc, ravages, demolition, plunder, pillage, desolation, depredation, ruination, spoliation A huge bomb blast brought devastation to the centre of the city.

2. trauma, suffering, shock, pain, stress, upset, torture, distress, misery, anguish, upheaval, heartache, heartbreak the devastation which sexual abuse causes to the victim

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

devastation

noun

The act of destroying or state of being destroyed:

Translations

devastation

[ˌdevəˈsteɪʃən] N

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

devastation

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007