DEVASTATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does devastate mean? 

• DEVASTATE (verb)
  The verb DEVASTATE has 2 senses:

1. cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly

2. overwhelm or overpower

  Familiarity information: DEVASTATE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DEVASTATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they devastate    ... he / she / it devastates   
Past simple: devastated   
Past participle: devastated   
-ing form: devastating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

desolate; devastate; lay waste to; ravage; scourge; waste

Context example:

The enemy lay waste to the countryside after the invasion

Hypernyms (to "devastate" is one way to...):

destroy; ruin (destroy completely; damage irreparably)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "devastate"):

ruin (reduce to ruins)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

devastation (the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists)

devastation (plundering with excessive damage and destruction)

devastation (an event that results in total destruction)

devastation (the state of being decayed or destroyed)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Overwhelm or overpower

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

He was devastated by his grief when his son died

Hypernyms (to "devastate" is one way to...):

overcome; overpower; overtake; overwhelm; sweep over; whelm (overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The bad news will devastate him

Derivation:

devastation (the feeling of being confounded or overwhelmed)

 Context examples 

Scientists may have discovered how the most common genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease destroys brain cells and devastates many patients worldwide.

(Too much protein may kill brain cells as Parkinson’s progresses, NINDS)

As a result, the drug was able to slow down progression of these potentially devastating conditions and it should be trialled in patients.

(Blood pressure drug shows promise for treating Parkinson’s and dementia in animal studies, University of Cambridge)

The disease can range from relatively mild to devastating.

(Vitamin D Levels Predict Multiple Sclerosis Progression, NIH)

The researchers hope this research empowers thousands of at-risk people with a way to prevent these tumors from becoming a devastating disease.

(Study finds genetic link for rare intestinal cancer, NIH)

Glioblastoma, a type of aggressive brain tumor, is one of the most devastating forms of cancer.

(Brain tumor invasion along blood vessels may lead to new cancer treatments, NIH)

However, when problems occur, the results can be devastating.

(Brain Diseases, NIH)

The loss of the ability to speak can have devastating effects on patients whose facial, tongue, and larynx muscles have been paralyzed due to stroke or other neurological conditions.

(Scientists translate brain signals into speech sounds, National Institutes of Health)

“While we know that damage to brain cells can be devastating, the exact impact of this vascular injury following head trauma is uncertain and requires further study.”

(Microbleeds may worsen outcome after head injury, National Institutes of Health)

Plastic pollution is a devastating problem for marine life, with the UN Environment Programme estimating that about 8 million tonnes of plastic waste is dumped into the seas every year.

(Microplastic pollution adds to oceans’ problems, scidev.net)

Now, NSF-funded researchers at Gladstone Institutes are approaching this devastating disease from a different angle.

(Predicting Alzheimer's-like memory loss before it strikes, National Science Foundation)