devastating

/ˈdevəsteɪtɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdevəsteɪtɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈde-və-ˌstā-tiŋ/ (ame, mw)

devastating — 形容詞

  • devastatingpositive
  • more devastatingcomparative
  • most devastatingsuperlative

1. causing very serious harm or complete ruin to buildings, land, or other physical

1.形容詞B2
釋義

毀滅性的

造成嚴重破壞或損害的

causing very serious harm or complete ruin to buildings, land, or other physical things — used especially for natural disasters, fires, storms, and wars that leave places in a badly damaged condition.

例句

The earthquake caused devastating damage to buildings across the old part of the city.

地震對舊城區的建築物造成了毀滅性的破壞。

collocation: devastating damage / devastating impact

A wildfire swept through the hills, destroying homes and leaving a devastating scar.

野火席捲了山丘，燒毀了家園，留下了毀滅性的傷痕。

同義詞
  • destructive

    Broader — destructive can describe anything that causes harm, not necessarily on a large scale; devastating implies total or near-total ruin.

  • catastrophic

    Stronger focus on widespread disaster affecting many people; devastating can describe harm on a smaller scale too.

  • ruinous

    Suggests financial or structural collapse; more formal than devastating.

反義詞
  • constructive

    Describes something that builds or helps rather than destroys.

文法句型

devastating + noun

be + devastating

用法筆記

Often used with nouns like damage, effect, impact, loss, blow, or consequence to describe the scale of physical harm.

常見錯誤

❌The storm was very devastating for the town.
✅The storm was devastating for the town.
💡'devastating' already carries a sense of extreme severity, so intensifiers like 'very' are redundant.

2. producing such intense shock or deep sadness that a person feels emotionally ove

2.形容詞B2
釋義

令人崩潰的

使人極度震驚或心碎的

producing such intense shock or deep sadness that a person feels emotionally overwhelmed — used when news, events, or experiences hit someone very hard and leave them deeply upset or heartbroken.

例句

Sivan received the devastating news that her cousin had been in a serious car accident.

Sivan 收到了令人崩潰的消息：她的表弟遭遇了嚴重車禍。

collocation: devastating news

It was devastating for the family to learn that their savings had disappeared overnight.

得知積蓄在一夜之間消失無蹤，對這個家庭來說是令人崩潰的。

it + be + devastating + for [person] + to-infinitive

同義詞
  • heartbreaking

    More personal and emotional; devastating is broader and can also describe physical destruction.

  • shattering

    Stronger metaphor of breaking apart; less common in everyday speech than devastating.

  • crushing

    Suggests the weight of the emotional blow; similar intensity to devastating.

反義詞
  • uplifting

    Makes someone feel happier and more hopeful.

文法句型

be + devastating + for + someone

find + it + devastating + to-infinitive

it + be + devastating + to-infinitive

用法筆記

Common in patterns with news, diagnosis, discovery, blow, or reality as the subject. The to-infinitive pattern (e.g. 'it was devastating to learn…') is very frequent and natural for learners to imitate.

常見錯誤

❌I am devastating about the result.
✅I am devastated about the result.
💡'devastating' describes the thing that causes the pain; 'devastated' describes the person feeling it.

3. referring to a personal quality — such as charm, wit, or good looks — that is so

3.形容詞C1
釋義

極具魅力的

形容個人特質具有強烈感染力的

referring to a personal quality — such as charm, wit, or good looks — that is so striking it grabs people's full attention or leaves them unable to respond.

例句

Élise gave a devastating smile that made everyone in the meeting stop and stare.

Élise 露出了一個極具魅力的微笑，讓會議室裡的每個人都停下了動作。

Lucas has a devastating wit that leaves his opponents unable to reply during debates.

Lucas 擁有極具魅力的機智，總讓對手在辯論中無從反駁。

collocation: devastating wit

同義詞
  • stunning

    More common for physical beauty; less strong in effect than devastating.

  • irresistible

    Focuses on the inability to resist, while devastating focuses on the powerful impact.

  • dazzling

    Suggests brightness or showiness; devastating has a more forceful, overwhelming quality.

反義詞

文法句型

devastating + noun (personal quality)

用法筆記

Almost always used attributively (before nouns like smile, charm, wit, looks, intelligence). It describes a quality that is so striking it metaphorically 'knocks people over' with its force. Not used predicatively in this sense — you cannot say 'her smile is devastating' in this positive-charm meaning without sounding ambiguous with sense 2.

常見錯誤

❌Her speech was devastating' (when trying to praise it).
✅She gave a devastating speech full of wit and confidence.
💡Without context, 'devastating speech' could be interpreted as emotionally upsetting (sense 2); add context or use the attributive position to make the positive meaning clear.