Nearby Words

devastating

[dev-uh-stey-ting] Example Sentences Origin

dev·as·tat·ing

[dev-uh-stey-ting]
adjective
1.
tending or threatening to devastate: a devastating fire.
2.
satirical, ironic, or caustic in an effective way: a devastating portrayal of society.

Origin:
1625–35; devastate + -ing2

dev·as·tat·ing·ly, adverb
un·dev·as·tat·ing, adjective
un·dev·as·tat·ing·ly, adverb

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Devastating is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Example Sentences
  • Japan's economy was spared a more devastating blow because the earthquake hit far from its industrial heartland.
  • His decision has been devastating to our department.
  • Japan's earthquake has a devastating effect on the stockmarket too.
EXPAND
Dictionary.com Unabridged

dev·as·tate

[dev-uh-steyt]
verb (used with object), -tat·ed, -tat·ing.
1.
to lay waste; render desolate: The invaders devastated the city.
2.
to overwhelm.

Origin:
1625–35; < Latin dēvastātus laid waste (past participle of dēvastāre), equivalent to dē- de- + vast(āre) to lay waste (akin to vastus empty) + -ātus -ate1

dev·as·ta·tive, adjective
dev·as·ta·tor, noun
un·dev·as·tat·ed, adjective


1. destroy, sack, despoil. See ravage.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To devastating
Collins
World English Dictionary
devastating (ˈdɛvəˌsteɪtɪŋ)
 
adj
extremely effective in a destructive way: a devastating war; a devastating report on urban deprivation
 
devastatingly
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

devastate
1630s, probably a back-formation from devastation, but apparently not common until 19c.; earlier verb form devast is attested from 1530s, from Fr. devaster. Related: devastated.
EXPAND

devastating
1630s, from devastate. Trivial use by 1889.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature