as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the sheer devastation of the housing development by the forest fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of devastation
Following years of economic devastation and underinvestment in public services, the country’s infrastructure – from hospitals to electricity and water – is ill-equipped to deal with a crisis like this.
—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
And then there's water damage and the devastation caused by flooding.
—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Greenspan’s crisis management skills were tested again in 1997 and 1998, when a financial crisis in Asia threatened to spread economic devastation around the globe.
—
Paul Wiseman,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
Starmer has, however, faced ongoing criticism from those in his own party over the death and devastation in Gaza, and his more right-leaning policies related to trans people, civil liberties, immigration and measures to tackle soaring inequality.
—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
22 June 2026
The devastation of Irpin was covered by the media likewise.
—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Williams views Leap Life—named after his leap-year birthday—as an attempt to commune with the dead, particularly in light of the ongoing devastation in Palestine, Sudan, Haiti, Congo, and Yemen.
—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
17 June 2026
Hanuse uses footage of the smallpox survivors in the film that is over 100 years old, underscoring the devastation but also their strength.
—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Fifty years later, an energy corporation announces plans to build a plant in that area, threatening ecological devastation.
—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
John Liu,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
And then there's water damage and the devastation caused by flooding.
—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Greenspan’s crisis management skills were tested again in 1997 and 1998, when a financial crisis in Asia threatened to spread economic devastation around the globe.
—
Paul Wiseman,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
Starmer has, however, faced ongoing criticism from those in his own party over the death and devastation in Gaza, and his more right-leaning policies related to trans people, civil liberties, immigration and measures to tackle soaring inequality.
—
Abid Rahman,
HollywoodReporter,
22 June 2026
The devastation of Irpin was covered by the media likewise.
—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Williams views Leap Life—named after his leap-year birthday—as an attempt to commune with the dead, particularly in light of the ongoing devastation in Palestine, Sudan, Haiti, Congo, and Yemen.
—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
17 June 2026
Hanuse uses footage of the smallpox survivors in the film that is over 100 years old, underscoring the devastation but also their strength.
—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Fifty years later, an energy corporation announces plans to build a plant in that area, threatening ecological devastation.
—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devastation
Noun
-
Rodríguez said authorities have recorded 862 aftershocks since the main quakes and confirmed that 189 buildings collapsed completely nationwide, the vast majority in La Guaira, the coastal state that suffered the worst destruction.
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Our previous card featured the fiery destruction of the Missouri Pacific depot in 1909.
Noun
-
The beloved southern elephant seal, Neil the Seal, is back in Tasmania, causing havoc yet again and garnering fans through his antics.
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Those same issues have ships and planes on high alert in the Middle East, and the ongoing conflict across the region is causing havoc for civilian applications like ride-hailing and food delivery.
Noun
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The congregation started to arrive at the usual time, about half an hour before Mass on a recent Saturday afternoon, the old church slowly filling with the descendants and caretakers of a place of great serenity but also great loss.
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Fireflies are facing growing challenges from habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change and light pollution.
Noun
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Although this is likely an underestimate, due to insufficient data on more than half of North America's firefly species, at least 18 species are officially listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as threatened with extinction.
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The fossils date to the Paleocene Epoch, the first 10 million years after the end-Cretaceous extinction, during which mammals rapidly diversified as ecosystems slowly recovered.
Noun
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The Robeson site developer ultimately began demolition on that site over the winter, so the city did not have to carry out receivership there.
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Project Purple is being built about two years after the demolition of Kingda Ka, the park's iconic launch coaster that stood 456 feet tall before it was removed in early 2025.
Cite this Entry
“Devastation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastation. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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