RAVAGE Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'ravage' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of ravage are despoil , devastate , pillage , sack , and waste . While all these words mean "to lay waste by plundering or destroying," ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction. // a hurricane ravaged the coast

Q: When would 'despoil' be a good substitute for 'ravage'?

In some situations, the words despoil and ravage are roughly equivalent. However, despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction. // the Nazis despoiled the art museums

Q: When is it sensible to use 'devastate' instead of 'ravage'?

While the synonyms devastate and ravage are close in meaning, devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area. // an earthquake devastated the city

Q: How are the words 'pillage' and 'sack' related as synonyms of 'ravage'?

Pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack . // settlements pillaged by Vikings

Q: Where would 'sack' be a reasonable alternative to 'ravage'?

The meanings of sack and ravage largely overlap; however, sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place. // barbarians sacked ancient Rome

Q: In what contexts can 'waste' take the place of 'ravage'?

While in some cases nearly identical to ravage , waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action. // years of drought had wasted the area

ravage 1 of 2

verb

Definition of ravage

as in to destroy

to bring destruction to (something) through violent action the hurricane ravaged the state and caused billions of dollars worth of damage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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ravage

2 of 2

noun

as in ravaging

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How does the verb ravage contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of ravage are despoil, devastate, pillage, sack, and waste. While all these words mean "to lay waste by plundering or destroying," ravage implies violent often cumulative depredation and destruction.

a hurricane ravaged the coast

When would despoil be a good substitute for ravage?

In some situations, the words despoil and ravage are roughly equivalent. However, despoil applies to looting or robbing without suggesting accompanying destruction.

the Nazis despoiled the art museums

When is it sensible to use devastate instead of ravage?

While the synonyms devastate and ravage are close in meaning, devastate implies the complete ruin and desolation of a wide area.

an earthquake devastated the city

How are the words pillage and sack related as synonyms of ravage?

Pillage implies ruthless plundering at will but without the completeness suggested by sack.

settlements pillaged by Vikings

Where would sack be a reasonable alternative to ravage?

The meanings of sack and ravage largely overlap; however, sack implies carrying off all valuable possessions from a place.

barbarians sacked ancient Rome

In what contexts can waste take the place of ravage?

While in some cases nearly identical to ravage, waste may imply producing the same result by a slow process rather than sudden and violent action.

years of drought had wasted the area

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of ravage

Verb

My number one priority is curbing the overdevelopment that is ravaging Tavares. — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026 London had been ravaged by plague since the summer of 1592, with high mortality rates in the city and suburbs meaning the playhouses were closed for business for twenty of the following twenty-two months. — Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Noun

Temperatures are rising and normally rainy Salzburg now worries about water shortage and the environmental ravage of over-tourism. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ravage

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ravage

Verb

Cities outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Animal diseases also threaten our economy and food system, destroying more than 20% of global livestock production each year.

— Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of destroy

Verb

For two years, the war in Gaza devastated the Palestinian enclave, killed tens of thousands of people, and left Israeli hostages languishing in captivity.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Oct. 2026
The rain is raising concerns in Altadena once again for families devastated by the Eaton Fire.

— Jasmine Viel, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of devastate

Verb

One accidental move could ruin the attempt, requiring a correction at best, and a possible restart at worst.

— Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Others have used it to remove oily stains from their toddlers like crayon marks on carpet, and one reviewer says it’s saved many of their clothes from being ruined in a household with unavoidable messes from both kids and pets.

— Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruin

Noun

About 90% of the city was flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, according to the White House.

— Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
The suspect, 27-year-old Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano of Stafford, Virginia, has been charged with felony destruction of property, trespass with intent to damage, and felony injury to a monument, court records show.

— Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of destruction

Noun

The gang steals sacred objects, but their movements around them can resemble ceremony not desecration.

— Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
These are two examples of politicians' truths among a plethora of others that are really lies, distortions, deceptions and desecrations of the citizens' trust in them.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of desecration

Noun

No other city in the country would blow off the ruination of a community.

— Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
Some of these are arranged into more staid compositions of geometric bands of color, while others bend and bulge into shapes evoking the baroque ruination of junk-yard findings.

— Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026

Definition of ruination

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“Ravage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ravage. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of ravage

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