"Devastate" is a common, formal word with a drastic, dramatic tone.

Because it's so closely related to the words "vast" and "waste," it helps you emphasize how something completely ruins a place, or completely breaks someone's heart.

To be literal, talk about storms, floods, tornadoes, and other disasters that devastate fields, buildings, towns, coastlines, etc.

And to be figurative, talk about deaths, losses, failures, heartbreaks, disasters, bad news, and other awful things that devastate people.

We often use the passive voice: "Iago was devastated when he didn't get the promotion."

And, we often use "devastating" as an adjective, sometimes for sarcasm and exaggeration: "a devastating mistake," "this devastating loss," "that devastating smile."

"Devastatingly" is the adverb, a fun alternative to the more casual "drop-dead," as in "drop-dead gorgeous." It may be a bit overused in the phrases "devastatingly gorgeous" and "devastatingly handsome," so maybe you'll talk instead about a devastatingly decadent dessert, a devastatingly funny skit, or a devastatingly fluffy unicorn.

examples:

"He was very conscious of being an only child, and he knew his mom would be devastated if something bad happened to him."
   — Carl Hiaasen, Hoot, 2002

"The cryptocurrency industry has endured a terrible year. A devastating crash wiped nearly $1 trillion from the market, draining the savings of thousands of people. Several companies filed for bankruptcy."
   — David Yaffe-Bellany, New York Times, 26 August 2022

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If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "devastate" without saying "ruin" or "totally dishearten."

try it out:

Be serious or silly as you fill in the blanks: "(Someone) hates (unpleasant events of some kind), the most devastating of which was _____."

Silly example: "I hate finding things in my food, the most devastating of which was a dark, thick hair stretched atop a creamy slice of tres leches cake."

Serious example: "He hated to lose [at football], absolutely hated it, and of all the losses, this may well have been the most devastating one.”
   — H. G. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights, 1990

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before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Name that Sketchplanation!"

Check out the sketch below, created by Jono Hey at Sketchplanations.com.

Focus on the title, and see if you can come up with the word or phrase that belongs in the blurry spot. It'll be one we've studied before.

See the answer on the original Sketchplanation!

And if you like, review the word here.

review this word:

1. The opposite of DEVASTATED could be

A. STUNNED or STYMIED.
B. OVERJOYED or FULFILLED.
C. SPED UP or ACCELERATED.

2. In the card game "BattleCON: Devastation of Indines," you fight villains who are trying to _____.

A. ascend to Indines
B. lay waste to Indines
C. religiously subjugate Indines

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. B

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.