devastative

adjective

Definition of devastativenext
as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction that kind of devastative tornado can tear the roof off of a house in a matter of seconds

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for devastative
  1. devastating
  2. disastrous
  3. destructive
Adjective
  • What began as one employee's devastating loss quickly grew into a community-wide effort to help earthquake victims in Venezuela.
    — Jasmine Arenas, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Robert Bush, 48, was sentenced at Hull Crown Court in northeastern England after a five-day hearing in which more than 200 victims described the devastating impact of his crimes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
Definition of devastating
Adjective
  • Biden eventually withdrew from the 2024 presidential race after a disastrous debate performance.
    — Nina Totenberg, NPR, 25 July 2026
  • Lawmakers assumed the good investment returns would keep coming, which proved disastrous.
    — Zachary Christensen, Oc Register, 24 July 2026
Definition of disastrous
Adjective
  • Russia withdrew from the convention in 2025 following denunciations by other Ramsar members of the war in Ukraine and its destructive effects on wetlands in that country.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 July 2026
  • Burmese pythons — destructive invasive snakes with few natural predators in Florida — have developed a new foothold outside the Everglades.
    — Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of destructive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

devastations
devastative
develop
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Cite this Entry

“Devastative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devastative. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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