devastating

devastating
dev|a|stat|ing [ˈdevəsteıtıŋ] adj
1.) badly damaging or destroying something
devastating effect/impact
▪ Acid rain has a devastating effect on the forest.
devastating results/consequences
▪ The oil spill has had devastating consequences for local wildlife.
▪ It will be a devastating blow for the town if the factory closes.
2.) making someone feel extremely sad or shocked
▪ He was in Nice when he heard the devastating news .
▪ Long-term unemployment can be devastating.
3.) very impressive or effective
▪ In a devastating display of military muscle, soldiers seized the town yesterday.
4.) literary extremely attractive
▪ a devastating smile
>devastatingly adv
▪ a devastatingly attractive man

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • devastating — adj. 1. highly critical; making light of; as, a devastating portrait of human folly. Syn: annihilating, withering. [WordNet 1.5] 2. causing or capable of causing complete destruction; as, a devastating hurricane. Syn: annihilative. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • devastating — index dire, disastrous, fatal Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • devastating — 1630s, prp. adj. from DEVASTATE (Cf. devastate). Trivial use by 1889 …   Etymology dictionary

  • devastating — ► ADJECTIVE 1) highly destructive. 2) extremely distressing or shocking. 3) informal very impressive or attractive. DERIVATIVES devastatingly adverb …   English terms dictionary

  • devastating — [[t]de̱vəsteɪtɪŋ[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n (emphasis) If you describe something as devastating, you are emphasizing that it is very harmful or damaging. The city of Ormac took the full force of the winds and devastating floods... Affairs do… …   English dictionary

  • devastating — dev|as|tat|ing [ devə,steıtıŋ ] adjective * 1. ) causing a lot of harm or damage: a devastating fire/storm/flood Gambling can have a devastating effect on families. 2. ) very shocking or upsetting: It is always devastating to be diagnosed with a… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • devastating */ — UK [ˈdevəˌsteɪtɪŋ] / US adjective 1) causing a lot of harm or damage a devastating fire/storm/flood Gambling can have a devastating effect on families. 2) very shocking or upsetting It is always devastating to be diagnosed with a terminal illness …   English dictionary

  • devastating — adjective 1 destroying or badly damaging something: Acid rain has a devastating effect on the environment. 2 shocking and upsetting: the devastating news of a plane crash 3 almost impossible to argue against or deal with: a devastating argument… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • devastating — adjective 1) a devastating cyclone Syn: destructive, ruinous, disastrous, catastrophic, calamitous, cataclysmic; harmful, damaging, injurious, detrimental; crippling, violent, savage, fierce, dangerous, fatal, deadly …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • devastating — [ˈdevəˌsteɪtɪŋ] adj 1) causing a lot of harm or damage a devastating fire/storm/flood[/ex] 2) very shocking or upsetting a devastating loss[/ex] 3) very impressive or attractive devastating good looks[/ex] …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

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