From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdevastatedev‧a‧state /ˈdevəsteɪt/ ●○○ verb [transitive] 1 SAD/UNHAPPYSHOCKto make someone feel extremely shocked and sad Rob was devastated by the news of her death.2 DESTROYto damage something very badly or completely The city centre was devastated by the bomb.► see thesaurus at destroy —devastation /ˌdevəˈsteɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
devastate• The small, thriving community has been devastated.• The country has been devastated by floods.• This second attack has just devastated him.• Her mother's early death from cancer devastated Lianne.• Bombing raids devastated the city of Dresden.• A huge explosion devastated the downtown area last night.• Years of war have devastated this island nation.Origin devastate (1600-1700) Latin devastare, from vastare “to lay waste, destroy” 