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
Examples of devastating in a Sentence
a devastating blow to our morale
Recent Examples on the Web
Turmoil continues in Haiti The Obama administration granted TPS to Haiti in 2010, after a devastating magnitude 7.1 earthquake destroyed the Haitian capital.
—Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2025
Bass cited Crowley’s response to last month’s devastating wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 29 people.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2025
Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to see Canada become the US’ 51st state, jabbed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and threatened massive tariffs that would have a devastating effect on Canada’s economy.
—Homero De La Fuente, CNN, 20 Feb. 2025
Their efforts have been motivated by the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, which killed 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
—David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devastating
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Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2025
Bass cited Crowley’s response to last month’s devastating wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods that destroyed thousands of homes and killed 29 people.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2025
Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to see Canada become the US’ 51st state, jabbed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and threatened massive tariffs that would have a devastating effect on Canada’s economy.
—Homero De La Fuente, CNN, 20 Feb. 2025
Their efforts have been motivated by the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, which killed 29 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
—David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 20 Feb. 2025
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 2 Mar. 2025.
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