dévastateur

devastating

adjective deh-vas-tah-TUR Rare

Usage Note

dévastateur agrees in gender and number: feminine dévastatrice, plural dévastateurs / dévastatrices. It can describe physical destruction (a storm, a fire) or figurative harm (a criticism, a defeat). The verb dévaster and noun dévastation share the root from Latin vastare (to lay waste).

Examples

"L'incendie a eu un effet dévastateur sur la forêt."

Natural Translation

The fire had a devastating effect on the forest.

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