devastate

devastate — verb

1. to damage or ruin a place, building, or area so severely that almost nothing is

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to damage or ruin a place, building, or area so severely that almost nothing is left in good condition

Example

The earthquake devastated the old town, leaving only rubble and dust behind.

collocation: devastate + [place noun] for physical destruction

Wildfires devastated large areas of forest across northern Portugal last summer.

Common collocations
  • devastate a city
  • devastate a region
  • devastate crops
  • devastate an area
  • devastate infrastructure
Synonyms
  • destroy

    more general in scope; devastate emphasizes total ruin

  • ruin

    less violent; can apply to plans and hopes as well as physical objects

  • wreck

    suggests violent damage, often to vehicles or structures; less formal

  • demolish

    specifically of buildings or structures, often deliberately

Antonyms
  • build

    creating instead of destroying

  • restore

    bringing something damaged back to good condition

Grammar Patterns

devastate + noun phrase

Usage Note

Subject is usually a natural disaster, war, or large-scale destructive event. Object is typically a geographical area, settlement, or piece of infrastructure.

Common Mistakes

The child devastated his toy truck.
The child broke his toy truck.
devastate is too strong for everyday breaking; it implies large-scale or violent destruction.
The heavy rain devastated my umbrella.
The heavy rain ruined my umbrella.
devastate is not used for small, personal objects.

2. to cause someone to feel overwhelming sadness, shock, or emotional distress — fo

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to cause someone to feel overwhelming sadness, shock, or emotional distress — for example, when hearing deeply upsetting news or suffering a serious loss

Example

Kemi was devastated when her grandmother passed away last spring.

passive: be devastated + when-clause for emotional reaction

The sudden news of the factory closure devastated the entire community.

Common collocations
  • be devastated by news
  • be devastated by loss
  • feel devastated
  • leave someone devastated
  • utterly devastated
Synonyms
  • overwhelm

    broader; can be positive or negative; devastate is always negative

  • shatter

    more dramatic, suggests emotional breaking into pieces

  • shock

    focuses on surprise; devastate includes prolonged grief

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be devastated + by + noun phrase

be devastated + to-infinitive

be devastated + that-clause

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive voice (be devastated by / be devastated to hear). The cause is always something serious — grief, rejection, disaster — not mild irritation or inconvenience.

Common Mistakes

She was devastated by the cold weather.
She was devastated by the death of her pet.
devastate requires a seriously distressing cause, not a mild discomfort.
I am devastated that I forgot my keys.
I am annoyed that I forgot my keys.
forgetting keys is inconvenient, not devastating.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe causing damage, but devastate is the strongest, implying near-total ruin. Destroy is the most general, covering everything from breaking a toy to obliterating a city. Ruin is less violent and often applies to intangible things (hopes, reputation, plans). Wreck suggests violent damage, typically to vehicles, buildings, or systems, and is slightly informal. Demolish is more deliberate and usually refers to taking down structures on purpose, though it can also mean disproving an argument. For physical destruction, if you want to emphasize vast scale and completeness, devastate is the best choice: 'The tornado devastated the entire neighbourhood.' If the cause is deliberate and structural, use demolish: 'The crew demolished the old factory.'

destroy ↗ruin ↗wreck ↗demolish

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • leave someone devastated
  • be devastated by the loss of

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Devastate comes from Latin 'devastatus', the past participle of 'devastare', which breaks down into 'de-' (meaning completely) and 'vastare' (meaning to lay waste or make empty), from 'vastus' (empty, desolate). The word entered English in the early 1600s from French. Its literal sense of 'laying waste to a place' came first; the emotional meaning developed later, by the mid-1800s, as a natural metaphor — a feeling of devastation is like an emotional wasteland.