Devastate and Destroy

Devastate

Devastate verb - To bring destruction to (something) through violent action.
Usage example: the city was devastated, first by the earthquake and then by fires

Destroy is a synonym for devastate in activity topic. In some cases you can use "Destroy" instead a verb "Devastate", when it comes to topics like demolish. popular alternative

Destroy

Destroy verb - To bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of.
Usage example: their poor scores on the final exam destroyed any chance they might have had to pass the course

Devastate is a synonym for destroy in spoil topic. You can use "Devastate" instead a verb "Destroy", if it concerns topics such as ruin, wreck. popular alternative

Nearby Words: destroyed, destroyer, destroying

Common collocations

mind devastate mind destroy mind
life devastate life destroy life
civilization devastate civilization destroy civilization
base devastate base destroy base
Other words: army, universe, earth, world, ship, fleet, planet, city, galaxy, enemy, forces, enemies, buildings, worlds, planets, ships, cities.
Cite this Source
Destroy and Devastate. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/devastate/destroy
Devastate & Destroy. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/devastate/destroy>.
Destroy or Devastate. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/devastate/destroy.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "devastate" and "destroy" have occurred on timeline