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
Electrical equipment — transmission lines in particular — has been the source of some of the most devastating wildfires in California and across the country.
—Ivan Penn, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2025
Earlier this month, the mom of two showcased the ways she's been keeping her kids happy throughout the devastating California wildfires, sharing a Reel on her Instagram carrying her son Phoenix through her house.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
While campaigning for the White House last year, Kennedy, now 71 years old, laid out a plan to tackle the United States' devastating fentanyl and overdose crisis, proposing a sprawling new system of camps or farms where people experiencing addiction would be sent to recover.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 29 Jan. 2025
The group called for an end to fossil fuels by 2030, warning of devastating storms and wildfires caused by climate change.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for devastating 
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Ivan Penn, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2025
Earlier this month, the mom of two showcased the ways she's been keeping her kids happy throughout the devastating California wildfires, sharing a Reel on her Instagram carrying her son Phoenix through her house.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 29 Jan. 2025
While campaigning for the White House last year, Kennedy, now 71 years old, laid out a plan to tackle the United States' devastating fentanyl and overdose crisis, proposing a sprawling new system of camps or farms where people experiencing addiction would be sent to recover.
—Brian Mann, NPR, 29 Jan. 2025
The group called for an end to fossil fuels by 2030, warning of devastating storms and wildfires caused by climate change.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 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 Feb. 2025.
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