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
Examples of devastating in a Sentence
a devastating blow to our morale
Recent Examples on the Web
Ragans paired his changeup, knuckle-curve and slider around the devastating fastball.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Search-and-rescue teams were seen working around the clock in the rubble of the once-thriving music venue, as the nation’s emergency operations director, Gen. Juan Manuel Méndez, confirmed the devastating toll.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Doctors and patients across Africa say devastating public health consequences are already unfolding in the wake of the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid, especially the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
—Samantha Riedel, Them., 9 Apr. 2025
The fight has dealt devastating blows to markets with more pain seemingly on the way on Wednesday.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devastating
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Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
Search-and-rescue teams were seen working around the clock in the rubble of the once-thriving music venue, as the nation’s emergency operations director, Gen. Juan Manuel Méndez, confirmed the devastating toll.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Doctors and patients across Africa say devastating public health consequences are already unfolding in the wake of the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid, especially the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
—Samantha Riedel, Them., 9 Apr. 2025
The fight has dealt devastating blows to markets with more pain seemingly on the way on Wednesday.
—Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for devastating
Cite this Entry
“Devastating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devastating. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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