Meaning
Devastate means to completely destroy, ruin, or cause severe shock and grief. It can describe both physical destruction (e.g., buildings, land) and emotional devastation (e.g., grief, sadness).
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Verb
- Transitive: always needs an object (e.g., The storm devastated the town.)
- Often used in both literal and figurative contexts.
Patterns:
- devastate + object
- be devastated by + noun
- devastate + place/person
Common Phrases
- be devastated by the news
- a devastated community
- devastating effect/impact
- emotionally devastated
Collocations
- devastate: area, land, city, population, community
- devastating: news, loss, earthquake, consequences, blow
- be devastated: by death, by disaster, by defeat
Examples
- The hurricane devastated the coastal city.
- She was devastated by the sudden loss of her best friend.
- The wildfire devastated thousands of acres of forest.
- The news of his failure devastated his parents.
- The war devastated the entire region, leaving millions homeless.
- He was devastated when his dream project was canceled.
- The devastating earthquake left the town in ruins.
- Many families were devastated by the economic crisis.
Synonyms or Related
- Destroy
- Ruin
- Wreck
- Shatter
- Demolish
Antonym
- Restore
- Rebuild
- Heal
- Comfort
- Recover