Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense ravages, present participle ravaging, past tense, past participle ravaged
verb [usually passive]
A town, country, or economy that has been ravaged is one that has been damaged so much that it is almost completely destroyed.
For two decades the country has been ravaged by civil war and foreign intervention. [beVERB-ed]
The camerawork makes the ravaged streets of New Orleans look exquisite. [VERB-ed]
...Nicaragua's ravaged economy. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: destroy, ruin, devastate, wreck More Synonyms of ravage
More Synonyms of ravage
ravage in British English
(ˈrævɪdʒ)
verb
1.
to cause extensive damage (to)
noun
2. (often plural)
destructive action
the ravages of time
Derived forms
ravagement (ˈravagement)
noun
ravager (ˈravager)
noun
Word origin
C17: from French, from Old French ravir to snatch away, ravish
ravage in American English
(ˈrævɪdʒ)
noun
1.
the act or practice of violently destroying; destruction
2. [usually pl.]
ruin; devastating damage
the ravages of time
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈravaged or ˈravaging
3.
to destroy violently; ruin
verb intransitive
4.
to commit ravages
SYNONYMY NOTE: ravage implies violent destruction, usually in a series of depredations or over an extendedperiod of time, as by an army or a plague; , devastate stresses the total ruin and desolation resulting from a ravaging; , plunder refers to the forcible taking of loot by an invading or conquering army; , sack2, pillage both specifically suggest violent destruction and plunder by an invading or conqueringarmy, , sack1 implying the total stripping of all valuables in a city or town; , despoil is equivalent to , sack1 but is usually used with reference to buildings, institutions, etc.
Derived forms
ravager (ˈravager)
noun
Word origin
Fr < OFr ravir: see ravish
Examples of 'ravage' in a sentence
ravage
But tens of thousands of other claimants came from countries that are not ravaged by war.
The Sun (2016)
We watch as her brilliant mind is betrayed by a body ravaged by disease and aggressive treatment.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They will reduce our country to the status of the ravaged countries they have fled.
The Sun (2015)
To protect against the ravages of time.
Brumberg, Elaine Take Care of Your Skin (1990)
Only the ravages of injury can have altered that.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Then we suffered the ravages of war and the credit crisis.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Then all the ravages of time appear.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
She finally began to recover from the ravages of the war.
Paul Preston DOVES OF WAR: Four Women of Spain (2002)
Paintings too are vulnerable to the ravages of time.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
Her tiny body was ravaged by a stomach bug and her heart failed.
The Sun (2008)
Or will the ravages of time be the biggest winner now?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But her body has been ravaged and is now succumbing completely.
The Sun (2009)
Is it standing up to the ravages of time?
The Sun (2012)
Some are refugees from the ethnic violence that ravaged the country after disputed elections at the end of last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In the next two years, competing warlords ravaged the country.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
England must fancy their chances of clinching the series as India are ravaged by injury and lousy form.
The Sun (2011)
A collapse in global oil prices and a consequent slump in local production have ravaged the Alaskan economy.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Civil war has ravaged the region since independence in 2011 and left 1.2 million homeless.
The Sun (2014)
As the tide of the war turned, the German people increasingly suffered the ravages of war.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
Dire positions often brought the best out of him, before injury ravaged the closing years of his Test career.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The destruction raised the spectre of a return to the civil war which ravaged the north African country in the 1990s.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Poor posture, arthritis, spinal damage and the ravages of time are commonly blamed for the initial onset of the problem.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
ravage
British English: ravage VERB
A town, country, or economy that has been ravaged is one that has been damaged so much that it is almost completely destroyed.
The country has been ravaged by civil war.
American English: ravage
Brazilian Portuguese: devastar
Chinese: 摧毁
European Spanish: destrozar
French: ravager
German: verwüsten
Italian: devastare
Japanese: 荒廃させる
Korean: 참화를 입다
European Portuguese: devastar
Latin American Spanish: destrozar
(verb)
Definition
to cause extensive damage to
Drought ravaged the area.
Synonyms
destroy
The building was completely destroyed.
ruin
Roads have been destroyed and crops ruined.
devastate
A fire devastated large parts of the castle.
wreck
Vandals wrecked the garden.
shatter
Something like that really shatters your confidence.
gut
The church had been gutted by vandals.
spoil
It is important not to let mistakes spoil your life.
loot
Gangs began breaking windows and looting shops.
demolish
The building is being demolished to make way for a motorway.
plunder
They plundered and burned the town.
desolate
A great famine desolated the country.
sack
Imperial troops sacked the French ambassador's residence in Rome.
ransack
Demonstrators ransacked and burned the house where he was staying.
pillage
Soldiers went on a rampage, pillaging stores and shooting.
raze
Dozens of villages have been razed.
lay waste
wreak havoc on
despoil (formal)
the modern day industry which has despoiled the town
leave in ruins
(noun)
Definition
the damaging effects
the ravages of a cold, wet climate
Synonyms
damage
There have been many reports of minor damage to buildings.
destruction
the extensive destruction caused by the rioters
devastation
A huge bomb blast brought devastation to the centre of the city.
desolation
The army left a trail of desolation in its wake.
waste
ruin
It is the ruin of society.
havoc
Rioters caused havoc in the centre of the town.
demolition
plunder
a guerrilla group infamous for plunder
pillage
There were no signs of violence or pillage.
depredation
Crops can be decimated by the unchecked depredations of deer.
ruination
rapine
spoliation
Additional synonyms
in the sense of demolish
Definition
to tear down or break up (buildings)
The building is being demolished to make way for a motorway.
Synonyms
knock down,
level,
destroy,
ruin,
overthrow,
dismantle,
flatten,
trash (slang),
total (slang),
tear down,
bulldoze,
raze,
pulverize
in the sense of depredation
Definition
plundering
Crops can be decimated by the unchecked depredations of deer.
Synonyms
destruction,
ravaging,
devastation,
ransacking,
pillage,
plunder,
marauding,
laying waste,
despoiling,
rapine,
spoliation
in the sense of desolate
Definition
to make barren
A great famine desolated the country.
Synonyms
destroy,
ruin,
devastate,
ravage,
lay low,
lay waste,
despoil (formal),
depopulate
Synonyms of 'ravage'
ravage
Explore 'ravage' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of desolation
Definition
ruin or devastation
The army left a trail of desolation in its wake.
Synonyms
ruin,
destruction,
havoc,
devastation,
ruination
in the sense of despoil
Definition
to plunder
the modern day industry which has despoiled the town
Synonyms
plunder,
destroy,
strip,
rob,
devastate,
wreck,
rifle,
deprive,
loot,
trash (slang),
total (slang),
ravage,
dispossess,
pillage,
divest,
denude,
vandalize,
wreak havoc upon
in the sense of destruction
Definition
the act of destroying something or state of being destroyed
the extensive destruction caused by the rioters
Synonyms
ruin,
havoc,
wreckage,
crushing,
wrecking,
shattering,
undoing,
demolition,
devastation,
annihilation,
ruination
in the sense of devastate
Definition
to damage (a place) severely or destroy it
A fire devastated large parts of the castle.
Synonyms
destroy,
waste,
ruin,
sack,
wreck,
spoil,
demolish,
trash (slang),
level,
total (slang),
ravage,
plunder,
desolate,
pillage,
raze,
lay waste,
despoil (formal)
in the sense of devastation
A huge bomb blast brought devastation to the centre of the city.
Synonyms
destruction,
ruin,
havoc,
ravages,
demolition,
plunder,
pillage,
desolation,
depredation,
ruination,
spoliation
in the sense of gut
Definition
basic, essential, or natural
The church had been gutted by vandals.
Synonyms
ravage,
strip,
empty,
sack,
rifle,
plunder,
clean out,
ransack,
pillage,
despoil (formal)
in the sense of havoc
Rioters caused havoc in the centre of the town.
Synonyms
devastation,
damage,
destruction,
waste,
ruin,
wreck,
slaughter,
ravages,
carnage,
desolation,
rack and ruin,
despoliation (formal)
in the sense of loot
Definition
to steal (money or goods) during war or riots
Gangs began breaking windows and looting shops.
Synonyms
plunder,
rob,
raid,
sack,
rifle,
ravage,
ransack,
pillage,
despoil (formal)
in the sense of pillage
Definition
to steal property violently, often in war
Soldiers went on a rampage, pillaging stores and shooting.
Synonyms
plunder,
strip,
sack,
rob,
raid,
spoil (archaic),
rifle,
loot,
ravage,
ransack,
despoil (formal),
maraud,
reive (dialect),
depredate (rare),
freeboot,
spoliate
in the sense of pillage
Definition
the act of pillaging
There were no signs of violence or pillage.
Synonyms
plundering,
sacking,
robbery,
plunder,
sack,
devastation,
marauding,
depredation,
rapine,
spoliation
Additional synonyms
in the sense of plunder
Definition
to seize (valuables or goods) from (a place) by force, usually in wartime
They plundered and burned the town.
Synonyms
loot,
strip,
sack,
rob,
raid,
devastate,
spoil,
rifle,
ravage,
ransack,
pillage,
despoil (formal)
in the sense of plunder
Definition
the act of plundering
a guerrilla group infamous for plunder
Synonyms
pillage,
sacking,
robbery,
marauding,
rapine,
spoliation
in the sense of ransack
Definition
to plunder or pillage
Demonstrators ransacked and burned the house where he was staying.
Synonyms
plunder,
raid,
loot,
pillage,
strip,
sack,
gut,
rifle,
ravage,
despoil (formal)
in the sense of rapine
Definition
pillage or plundering
Synonyms
pillage,
rape,
sack,
theft,
robbery,
looting,
seizure,
plundering,
ransacking,
marauding,
depredation,
despoliation (formal),
spoliation,
despoilment
in the sense of raze
Definition
to destroy (buildings or a town) completely
Dozens of villages have been razed.
Synonyms
destroy,
level,
remove,
ruin,
demolish,
flatten,
knock down,
pull down,
tear down,
throw down,
bulldoze,
kennet (Australian, slang),
jeff (Australian, slang)
in the sense of ruin
Definition
to destroy or spoil completely
Roads have been destroyed and crops ruined.
Synonyms
destroy,
devastate,
wreck,
trash (slang),
break,
total (slang),
defeat,
smash,
crush,
overwhelm,
shatter,
overturn,
overthrow,
bring down,
demolish,
raze,
lay waste,
lay in ruins,
wreak havoc upon,
bring to ruin,
bring to nothing,
kennet (Australian, slang),
jeff (Australian, slang)
in the sense of ruin
Definition
the state of being destroyed or decayed
It is the ruin of society.
Synonyms
destruction,
fall,
the end,
breakdown,
damage,
defeat,
failure,
crash,
collapse,
wreck,
overthrow,
undoing,
havoc,
Waterloo,
downfall,
devastation,
dissolution,
subversion,
nemesis,
crackup (informal)
in the sense of sack
Definition
to plunder and partially destroy (a town or city)
Imperial troops sacked the French ambassador's residence in Rome.
Synonyms
plunder,
loot,
pillage,
destroy,
strip,
rob,
raid,
ruin,
devastate,
spoil,
rifle,
demolish,
ravage,
lay waste,
despoil (formal),
maraud,
depredate (rare)
in the sense of shatter
Definition
to damage badly or destroy
Something like that really shatters your confidence.
Synonyms
destroy,
ruin,
wreck,
blast,
disable,
overturn,
demolish,
impair,
blight,
torpedo,
bring to nought
in the sense of spoil
Definition
to make (something) less valuable, beautiful, or useful
It is important not to let mistakes spoil your life.