devastated

[dev-uh-stey-tid]

adjective

1. laid waste; made desolate.

   After the earthquake there were concerns about asbestos in the rubble of many of the devastated houses.

2. overwhelmed or shocked, especially by profound loss, disappointment, humiliation, etc..

   I’m grateful that no one I knew personally died in the hurricane, but my heart goes out to all those devastated families.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of devastate.

Other Word Forms

• undevastated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of devastated¹

devastate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The grandfather's wife told the Sydney Morning Herald that her husband is "devastated" and has "owned the mistake".

From BBC

Across the Indian border, floods have also devastated Pakistan's Punjab province, affecting some two million people over the past few weeks.

From BBC

The mall makeover is part of a decades-long trend of repurposing dead shopping centers, devastated by the pivot to online shopping.

From Los Angeles Times

The deaths have devastated family members, a church community and youth soccer players.

From Los Angeles Times

She described Mr Stephen as being widely known in his Southside of Edinburgh, and said his friends and family were "absolutely devastated" by his death.

From BBC

Related Words

• broken 
• demolished www.thesaurus.com
• lost 
• ravaged 
• ruined www.thesaurus.com
• shattered 
• smashed 
• wrecked