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

Rather, this is a dangerous, shape-shifting synthetic entity that ravaged their entire planet. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026 The recent two-month onslaught of drenching rains and destructive tornados that ravaged both the south suburbs and northwest Indiana was bad enough. — Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 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

Almost 50 homes and other structures have been destroyed so far; there have been several injuries, and one of Tibbetts’s neighbors lost 20 German shepherds.

— Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
The flood then destroyed roads and knocked out power and phone networks, leaving families unable to establish even the most basic facts.

— Laura Saravia, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of destroy

Noun

This season’s ravaging reached further, for guards and wings and virtually anyone of relevance.

— Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 31 May 2026
It should also never be forgotten that the five who approved this ravaging of the city’s beach are the exact same five who voted to give themselves enormous pay raises and more lavish health care benefits last July — another stealth move with scant notice to the taxpaying public.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2026

Definition of ravaging

Verb

Rescue crews and foreign specialists are racing to find scores of workers feared trapped alive inside hydropower tunnels in Nepal, after thick mud buried the facilities during last week’s devastating flash floods.

— Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Travelers hoping to visit the Grand Canyon in coming days may want to adjust their plans after devastating flash flooding that has left at least two people dead and more than a dozen others missing.

— Eve Chen, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of devastate

Noun

The deadly wall of water that descended from the mountains on the border between Nepal and Tibet caused destruction at least 62 miles downriver from the border in Nepal, an ABC News analysis of verified video and satellite images shows.

— Jon Haworth, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Trump has also promoted the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities and navy, and the reduction in missile and drone capabilities, as measures of success.

— Bart Jansen, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of destruction

Noun

When Debbie, Susan, and Thom come over for a double-date pizza night, only Bret is concerned about the spate of recent home invasions, the missing pets, and the desecration of the griffin mascot.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
He was convicted of offenses including desecration of national symbols, contempt and public disorder, and spent five years in the Guanajay prison near Havana.

— Reuters, NBC news, 19 July 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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