ravager
ravager — noun
1. a person, group, or natural force that causes violent destruction and severe dam
a person, group, or natural force that causes violent destruction and severe damage to a place, community, or region
The warlord Noa was a merciless ravager who burned every village his army passed through.
be a ravager (predicate noun for person)
Minho's grandfather described the invading army as a ravager that slaughtered livestock and torched homes.
describe + as a ravager (noun with appositive relative clause)
The cyclone was a swift ravager that flattened houses and tore roads apart in hours.
Alessia called the general a ravager for ordering soldiers to destroy the peaceful farming town.
The wildfire became an unstoppable ravager that consumed every pine tree in the dry valley.
- destroyer
more general term; can apply to people or forces that demolish anything
- devastator
very close in meaning; slightly less common
- plunderer
specifically implies violent stealing during destruction
文法句型
a + ravager
the + ravager + of + place
be a ravager
用法筆記
Countable agent noun. Unlike the related noun 'ravage' (which describes the destructive force or damage), 'ravager' specifically refers to the person, group, or force that performs the destroying. Subject is commonly the thing that does the destroying — a person, army, or natural disaster.
常見錯誤
2. the serious damage, deterioration, or ruined condition caused by a destructive f
the serious damage, deterioration, or ruined condition caused by a destructive force such as war, time, disease, or natural disaster — typically expressed in the plural form 'ravages'
The museum photographs captured the ravages of war, showing bombed bridges and empty streets.
the ravages of war (set phrase)
Olivia's grandmother bore the ravages of famine on her face after decades of hardship.
The castle walls showed the ravages of time, with cracks spreading across the grey stone.
The ravages of the flood swept away homes and buried the fields under thick mud.
The factory bore the ravages of neglect, with broken windows and rust on every metal beam.
- aftermath
broader; refers to the period or situation following any event, not necessarily destructive
- devastation
emphasises the result of a destructive event; is singular rather than plural
- restoration
the process of repairing or returning something to its original condition
文法句型
the ravages of + noun (war, time, famine, neglect)
suffer the ravages of + noun
用法筆記
In this meaning the plural form 'ravages' (not the singular 'ravager') is the conventional English usage. The phrase 'the ravages of war / time / famine / disease / neglect' is a fixed expression in formal and literary registers. The singular 'ravager' cannot substitute for this plural form — attempting to do so produces unnatural English.