devastate

Devastate means to cause great destruction or damage, often leaving someone or something in a very sad state.

The word "devastate" can sound a bit scary because it implies a lot of harm. But when we use this word in everyday conversations, we're usually talking about situations where things have gone badly wrong - like a big storm that's destroyed a town, or an accident that's injured someone seriously. For example, you might say "The hurricane devastated the entire coast" to mean it caused huge destruction and left many people without homes. Or, "Her divorce devastated her family" to mean they were very sad and upset about what happened. The word is often used in news reports or when we're talking about big events that have had a lot of impact on people's lives.