devastation

devastation — noun

1. a situation in which an area or landscape has been so badly damaged or destroyed

1.nounB2
Definition

a situation in which an area or landscape has been so badly damaged or destroyed — for example by a storm, war, or fire — that it is almost completely ruined.

Example

The earthquake left a trail of devastation across the coastal towns of Japan.

widespread devastation (collocation)

Valentina stared at the devastation where her childhood home once stood.

Common collocations
  • widespread devastation
  • total devastation
  • complete devastation
  • environmental devastation
  • economic devastation
  • scenes of devastation
  • trail of devastation
Synonyms
  • destruction

    more general term; devastation is a stronger, more dramatic form of destruction that emphasises breadth

  • ruin

    suggests the result of decay or collapse over time, while devastation implies sudden or violent damage

  • desolation

    adds a sense of emptiness and abandonment beyond just physical damage

  • havoc

    focuses on chaos and disorder caused by destruction, often in the phrase 'wreak havoc'

Antonyms
  • construction

    the building up of structures, the opposite of destroying them

  • restoration

    the process of repairing something after damage has occurred

Usage Note

Frequently used with adjectives like 'widespread', 'complete', 'total', 'environmental', or 'economic' to describe the scope or type of damage. Also common in the phrase 'scenes of devastation' in news reporting.

Common Mistakes

The storm caused a lot of devastation to my car.
The storm caused a lot of damage to my car.
Devastation describes large-scale ruin of areas or landscapes, not minor harm to a single object.
There was devastation in the kitchen after I dropped the cake.
There was devastation in the city after the earthquake.
Devastation implies severe, often irreversible destruction, not a small mess.

2. an overwhelming feeling of shock, sadness, or emotional distress that a person e

2.nounC1
Definition

an overwhelming feeling of shock, sadness, or emotional distress that a person experiences after a terrible event or piece of bad news.

Example

When Caleb heard the news, a feeling of devastation washed over him.

a feeling of devastation (collocation)

The look of devastation on Mayumi's face told everyone what had happened.

Common collocations
  • a feeling of devastation
  • a sense of devastation
  • in devastation
  • devastation at something
  • look of devastation
Synonyms
  • grief

    more specifically tied to loss through death; devastation can come from many kinds of bad news

  • distress

    a broader, less intense term for anxiety or suffering

  • anguish

    suggests extreme physical or mental suffering, often more prolonged than devastation

Antonyms
  • relief

    the feeling of comfort after worry or pain ends

  • joy

    a strong positive emotion, the opposite of devastating sadness

Usage Note

Often appears in the patterns 'a sense/feeling of devastation' or 'in devastation'. This sense is less common than the physical-destruction sense and is typically found in personal narratives, journalism about tragedies, and literary writing. It is stronger than 'sadness' and closer to 'grief' in intensity.

Common Mistakes

I felt devastation when my bus was late.
I felt devastated when my grandfather passed away.
Devastation as an emotion describes profound grief or shock, not everyday frustration.
She was in devastation about her exam result.
She was devastated by her exam result.
The adjective 'devastated' is more natural than the noun 'devastation' for describing a person's emotional state.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Destruction is the broadest term, covering any kind of damage that makes something unusable or gone. Devastation is a stronger, more dramatic word — it suggests destruction so complete and widespread that the affected area looks empty or ruined beyond quick repair. Ruin often implies slow decay or the remains of something after collapse (e.g., 'the ruins of an ancient temple'), whereas devastation is more sudden and violent. Desolation adds an emotional dimension of emptiness and loneliness to physical damage — a devastated landscape can also feel desolate when it is silent and abandoned. Havoc emphasises chaos and disorder rather than structural damage; it is commonly used in the fixed phrase 'wreak havoc'. For example, you might say 'the storm wreaked havoc on traffic' (chaos), but 'the earthquake left a scene of devastation' (physical ruin).

destruction ↗ruin ↗desolationhavoc

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • in devastation
  • a scene of devastation
  • a trail of devastation

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Devastation entered English in the 15th century through French, from the Latin noun dēvāstātiō, formed from dēvāstāre 'to lay waste completely'. This verb combines the intensive prefix dē- 'thoroughly, completely' with vāstāre 'to lay waste, make empty', which itself comes from vāstus 'empty, desolate' — the same root that gave us 'vast'. The word originally described military destruction of land and cities during war, and by the 19th century it had developed the milder emotional sense of overwhelming grief or shock.