| 释义 |
devastating, ppl. a.
That devastates. Freq. fig., esp. in trivial or hyperbolical use: very effective or upsetting; astounding, overwhelming, ‘stunning’. Cf. next.
1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 81 Those devastating and mercilesse Infidels. 1815Shelley Alastor 613 Thou, colossal Skeleton, that..In thy devastating omnipotence Art king of this frail world. a1859Macaulay Hist. Eng. V. 105 An exhausting and devastating struggle of nine years. 1889A. James Diary 4 Aug. (1965) 50 The somewhat devastating episode of July 18th when Harry after a much longer absence than usual presented himself, doubled by William! 1910Daily Chron. 22 Mar. 1/3 It is expected that a devastating strike will be declared. 1924G. W. Hillyard 40 Yrs. Lawn-Tennis iii. 83 No man who ever walked on to a court was equipped with more perfect style, greater physical advantages, or more devastating strokes. 1925New Yorker 8 Aug. 4/2 Not since the Tango provided luscious livelihoods for many svelte youths has so devastating a dance agitated the town. 1926S. Jameson Three Kingdoms ii. 63 She was struggling with a devastating shyness. 1927H. T. Lowe-Porter tr. Mann's Magic Mountain v. 378 Everything, whether in jest or earnest, was ‘devastating’, the bob-run, the sweet for dinner, her own temperature. 1933E. Shanks Enchanted Village ix. 133 Oh yes, poor old Julian—I think, to be honest, that he's a devastating bore. 1936R. Lehmann Weather in Streets i. 11 Oh, darling have you got to go? How devastating. 1957I. Murdoch Sandcastle ix. 150 From the very depths of his being the knowledge came to him, suddenly and with devastating certainty. 1971Sunday Times 28 Mar. 32/6 Ludovic Kennedy published his devastating analysis of the Christie murders and established the innocence of Timothy Evans. |