devastated

adjective

dev·​as·​tat·​ed ˈde-və-ˌstā-təd 

1

: brought to a state of ruin or destruction

Dr. Dawdy, a 38-year-old assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Chicago, is one of the more unusual relief workers among the thousands who have come to the devastated expanses of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

—John Schwartz

I present here a steady flow model for the blast dynamics and propose that through much of the devastated area the blast was a supersonic flow of a complex multiphase (solid, liquid, vapour) mixture.

—Susan Werner Kieffer

2

: emotionally shattered or distraught

Doug never called. He dumped me for the cheerleader, and I was, in the parlance of teen-age romance, absolutely devastated.

—Marialisa Calta

Mr. Jacoby was devastated; he felt he was a proven winner and should not be yanked for one bad half.

—Ira Berkow

Examples of devastated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The trade stunned the sport, perplexed rival executives and devastated Bostonians. —Andy McCullough, New York Times, 18 June 2025

Postwar aid to a devastated Europe and to temporarily feed Japan kept farm prices high for a bit. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 15 June 2025

Family members say the arrest has left them devastated and fearful. —Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025

This is lavish luxury offering complimentary complexion perfection in a parched environment that typically causes wrinkles, a devastated dermis, and your exiting the plane looking tired and haggard. —Debbi Kickham, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for devastated

• abdicated
• abrogated
• acclimated
• activated
• actuated
• adumbrated
• advocated
• aggravated
• aggregated
• agitated
• allocated
• alternated