devastated
adjective
dev·as·tat·ed
ˈde-və-ˌstā-təd 
1
: brought to a state of ruin or destruction
Dr. Dawdy, a 38-year-old assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Chicago, is one of the more unusual relief workers among the thousands who have come to the devastated expanses of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.—
John Schwartz
I present here a steady flow model for the blast dynamics and propose that through much of the devastated area the blast was a supersonic flow of a complex multiphase (solid, liquid, vapour) mixture.—Susan Werner Kieffer
2
: emotionally shattered or distraught
Doug never called. He dumped me for the cheerleader, and I was, in the parlance of teen-age romance, absolutely devastated.—Marialisa Calta
Mr. Jacoby was devastated; he felt he was a proven winner and should not be yanked for one bad half.—Ira Berkow
Examples of devastated in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On Wednesday, numerous commemorations and tributes occurred in the devastated communities and throughout the city and county of Los Angeles —including flags flying at half-staff at City Hall, county buildings and at all state buildings.
—City News Service, Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
In the immediate aftermath of the fires there was discussion about maybe there should have been more accessibility and exit routes in the central core of the Palisades that was so devastated.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
The Gaza deal is in danger of stalling before reaching its complicated second phase that would involve naming an international governing body and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Dec. 2025
No one was more devastated than owner and performer, D'Arcy Drollinger.
—Kara St. Cyr, CBS News, 26 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Devastated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devastated. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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