Devastate Meaning
/ˈdɛv.ə.steɪt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo ruin many or all things over a large area, such as most or all buildings of a city, or cities of a region, or trees of a forest.
verbTo destroy a whole collection of related ideas, beliefs, and strongly held opinions.
Sentence Examples
The news will certainly devastate him.
The flood waters will devastate the nearby town.
CEFR Practice Quiz
A powerful earthquake could ____ the entire coastal city within seconds.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The news will certainly ____ him.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Latin dēvastātus, perfect passive participle of dēvastō (“to lay waste, devastate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)); from dē- (augmentative prefix) + vastō (“to destroy, lay waste”). See vast. First attested in 1638.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Halifax in Canada was devastated by a ship exploding in 1917. SS Mont Blanc, a French vessel loaded with 2.9 kilotons of explosives, collided with the Imo."
— 2022 August 24, Bruce Healey, “Wartime tunnel crash: a miraculous escape”, in RAIL, number 964, page 53:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
A powerful earthquake could ____ the entire coastal city within seconds.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The news will certainly ____ him.