Devastate

Pronunciation: /ˈdɛvəˌsteɪt/

Definitions of devastate

verb to destroy or ruin something completely

Example Sentences

A1 The hurricane devastated the small town.

A2 The loss of her pet devastated her.

B1 The economic crisis devastated many families in the region.

B2 The unexpected news devastated the entire community.

C1 The war devastated the country, leaving a trail of destruction.

C2 The scandal surrounding the politician's actions devastated his reputation.

Examples of devastate in a Sentence

formal The hurricane had the potential to devastate the entire coastal region.

informal I heard the news about the fire and it's devastating for the families affected.

slang The breakup really devastated him, he's been a mess ever since.

figurative The loss of her job felt like a devastating blow to her self-esteem.

Grammatical Forms of devastate

• past tense: devastated
• plural: devastates
• comparative: more devastated
• superlative: most devastated
• present tense: devastates
• future tense: will devastate
• perfect tense: has devastated
• continuous tense: is devastating
• singular: devastate
• positive degree: devastating
• infinitive: to devastate
• gerund: devastating
• participle: devastating

Origin and Evolution of devastate

First Known Use: 1630 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'devastate' originated from the Latin word 'devastare', which means 'lay waste'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to describe the act of laying waste to land or property, the word 'devastate' has evolved to also signify extreme destruction or damage in a more general sense.