How to Use devastating in a Sentence

devastating

adjective
Definition of devastatingnext
Synonyms for devastatingnext
  • This was just devastating to have to deal with and go through.
    — Bethany Levrier, Peoplemag, 4 June 2024
  • Julio wants to opt out, but the effects on his livelihood could be devastating.
    — Judy Berman, TIME, 7 June 2024
  • Watching her husband backslide was devastating, Heather said.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN, 27 July 2024
  • The two countries have built up their partnership just decades after fighting a devastating war that decimated the country.
    — Helen Regan, CNN, 19 June 2024
  • The catastrophe could happen at any time, but like other looming disasters, a devastating solar storm remains a constant, low-likelihood risk.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 26 July 2024
  • Calling from his home in Nashville, Shultz, 40, sounds like a man catching his breath after a devastating, life-changing experience.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 31 May 2024
  • This is such a devastating loss of a huge life and Mike will be missed.
    — Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 10 June 2023
  • And the range of the effects runs from near zero to devastating.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
  • The scene of that break is among the most devastating in Scorsese’s career.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2023
  • Six months into the war in Gaza, the human cost has been devastating.
    — Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
  • The fallout from the law, Blagrove said, has been devastating.
    — Umar Farooq, ProPublica, 18 Dec. 2023
  • That promising future came to a devastating end on Oct. 28 when Perry was found dead at age 54 in a hot tub in the backyard of his home.
    — Julie Jordan, Peoplemag, 31 Oct. 2023
  • Well, not all of them, because in a devastating move, Paige chose to hang back in the States rather than return to Russia with her parents.
    — Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 3 May 2024
  • For the other 199, the result may be devastating for no good reason.
    — Torie Bosch, STAT, 13 Dec. 2023
  • The city’s plight worsened this June with the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, which unleashed a devastating flood.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 18 Aug. 2023
  • Her grandmother then showed her video footage of the devastating crash.
    — NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
  • What to watch for: Carey tripped on her vault run in Tokyo and finished a devastating last place, but ended her Games with a triumphant gold medal on floor.
    — Lela Moore, SELF, 15 July 2024
  • The loss of access to fish must have been a devastating turn, because the human residents’ main proteins came from the sea.
    — Daniel Lewis, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2024
  • That ruling was a devastating blow to the regime and likely changed its calculus.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
  • The footage that Mediha shoots of daily life in the camp pulsates with a devastating optimism.
    — Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2023
  • Don’t miss the charming pastel blue church and the striking monument to a devastating avalanche.
    — David Nikel, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
  • The change was devastating to the platform, causing usage to plummet.
    — Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2023
  • On August 8, a devastating blaze swept across the Hawaiian island of Maui and engulfed the city of Lahaina, killing at least 100 people.
    — Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2023
  • This was the first time this group had paddled through the waters just north of historic Lahaina town since the devastating Aug. 8 wildfire that left many of them without homes.
    — Elahe Izadi, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
  • It’s been almost a year since the devastating wildfire ripped through the Hawaiian town of Lahaina, killing at least 99 people, and destroying most of the Maui town.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 May 2024
  • An essential read for those attempting to make sense of the devastating conflict in the Middle East.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 21 June 2024
  • Maybe injuries are to blame: Mallory Swanson’s injury proved both devastating to her, and the team.
    — Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Aug. 2023
  • The disease is devastating for patients and families; the five-year survival rate is 6.8%.
    — Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 12 June 2023
  • Bautista was released as a teenager and spent nearly a decade in the minors before learning to harness his devastating stuff.
    — Nathan Ruiz, Baltimore Sun, 11 July 2023
  • The Chiefs had just two penalties enforced for only 15 yards and their lone turnover, a Mecole Hardman fumble into the end zone, was almost devastating.
    — Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'devastating.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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