devastates

Devastates is the third-person singular present tense of the verb devastate. It means to cause extensive destruction or ruin, often on a large scale, or to overwhelm someone with strong emotion. When used about events or places, it implies considerable and lasting damage or disruption.

Originating in Latin, devastate comes from devastare, meaning to lay waste. The base form is devastate, and the third-person singular present is devastates; both follow the standard English verb pattern with subject-verb-object construction: a subject devastates something, or the situation devastates those affected. The related noun is devastation; the adjective is devastating.

In usage, devastates is common in reporting on natural disasters, wars, and humanitarian crises, as well as in describing personal impact. It can describe tangible effects, such as buildings destroyed or economies disrupted, and intangible effects, such as trust or morale being devastated. Caution is often advised to avoid hyperbole; the term conveys severity when paired with concrete consequences.

In language, the word functions as a transitive verb requiring a direct object. The passive form is is devastated, as in The city was devastated by the flood. Related terms include devastate (base form), devastation (noun), and devastating (adjective).