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• v  cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly
• v  overwhelm or overpower
• s  making light of
  a devastating portrait of human folly
• s  wreaking or capable of wreaking complete destruction
  a devastating hurricane
• s  physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination

• Lead is the contaminant that shows up most frequently on Blacksmith's list because the toll it takes on children can be so devastating.
• Meanwhile, the monotheistic Cylons took a break from trying to exterminate their human creators and had a devastating civil war, after which one camp joined with their former .
• The State Department's Intelligence and Research Department is reportedly warning that the fallout from the revelations has been devastating, not only in the Arab and Muslim world .

• lay waste to
• waste
• devastate
• desolate
• ravage
• scourge
• annihilating
• withering
• annihilative
• crushing

News & Articles

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• Moving Forward: Royal Gorge Bridge and Park officials talk rebuilding after devastating fire
  Tragic. Devastating. Cataclysmic. Demoralizing. Desertscape. Moonscape.
  June 14, 2013 - Canon City Daily Record
• 10 Most Devastating Knockouts in UFC Title Fights
  Devastating knockouts happen on an almost weekly basis inside the Octagon, but it's much rarer for a spectacular finish to occur when a UFC title is on the line. Championship bouts see two highly skilled and heavily trained athletes going at it, so a competitor making a mistake that would result in them being stopped is much less likely than it would be in a bout between two unproven prospects ...
  June 12, 2013 - Bleacher Report
• Devastating flood five years ago changed landscape, taught lessons
  A devastating flood in 2008 that killed three people and caused $763 million in damage also changed the landscape of many Wisconsin counties - and while the changes were hard to stomach for some, authorities say the state learned valuable lessons and will
  June 10, 2013 - The Appleton Post-Crescent

Quotes

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• Barack Obama in USA Today
  ...White House said President George W. Bush was calling Republican lawmakers, while Obama told reporters at a news conference in Chicago an industry shutdown would have a "devastating ripple effect" on the already ragged economy."
• Mitt Romney in RealClearPolitics (blog)
  Referring to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Romney said, "They would retreat, declare defeat, and the consequence of that would be devastating."
• Paul McCartney in USA Today
  -Longtime friend Brooke Shields: "My heart is overcome with sadness for the devastating loss of my true friend Michael," adds Brooke Shields, who raised eyebrows when she briefly dated Jackson. "He was an extraordinary friend, artist and...