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
Calling from his home in Nashville, Shultz, 40, sounds like a man catching his breath after a devastating, life-changing experience.
—Steve Appleford, SPIN, 31 May 2024
The National Transportation Safety Board said a cut to an inactive but still pressurized gas line will be a central focus of their investigation into what caused a devastating explosion that rocked downtown Youngstown, Ohio.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 30 May 2024
While those cases delivered devastating personal financial blows, only Mr. Bragg’s trial could send the former president to prison, and America into an era of uncertainty.
—William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 30 May 2024
Note too that in some parts of California, gleaning work might be limited by quarantines related to fruit flies or the devastating huanglongbing or citrus greening disease.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for devastating 
Steve Appleford, SPIN, 31 May 2024
The National Transportation Safety Board said a cut to an inactive but still pressurized gas line will be a central focus of their investigation into what caused a devastating explosion that rocked downtown Youngstown, Ohio.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 30 May 2024
While those cases delivered devastating personal financial blows, only Mr. Bragg’s trial could send the former president to prison, and America into an era of uncertainty.
—William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 30 May 2024
Note too that in some parts of California, gleaning work might be limited by quarantines related to fruit flies or the devastating huanglongbing or citrus greening disease.
—Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for devastating
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'devastating.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to devastating
Dictionary Entries Near devastating
Cite this Entry
“Devastating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devastating. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share