# devastate

/ˈdɛvəˌsteɪt/ (US) · /dˈɛvəstˌeɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/devastate
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to destroy a place

verb · CEFR B2

to destroy or ruin a large area or a lot of buildings.

For teachers: to lay waste to a large area or to cause extensive physical destruction to infrastructure or natural environments.

- The hurricane moved inland and devastated several small towns along the coast.
- The forest fire devastated thousands of hectares of ancient woodland, leaving the local ecosystem in a state of total collapse.

Usage: This is a transitive verb that requires a direct object, such as a city, region, or ecosystem.

### 2. to cause extreme sadness

verb · CEFR B2

to make someone feel very shocked, upset, or sad.

For teachers: to overwhelm someone with grief, shock, or dismay. Often used in the passive voice to describe a person's emotional state.

- She was devastated by the news that she didn't get the job.
- The family was utterly devastated by the sudden loss, struggling to process the news in the weeks that followed.

Usage: Commonly appears in the passive form 'to be devastated by' something.

Teaching tip: While the physical sense is C1, the emotional sense is very common in B2 conversation to express extreme disappointment.

## Examples

- The news of the accident will devastate the family.
- The hurricane managed to devastate the coastal town, leaving thousands of people without homes or electricity.
- While the fire did not physically devastate the entire structure, the smoke damage was sufficient to render the historic archives completely unsalvageable.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.