ravages
Causes widespread destruction
Ravages are the destructive effects of something over time—damage that accumulates through sustained force or neglect: the ravages of war, the ravages of time, the ravages of addiction.
The word almost always appears in plural and typically follows "the." To ravage is to cause such destruction: Disease ravaged the population.
Complete destruction or collapse
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
- desolationState of complete emptiness
- decimationNear-total destruction
- carnageWidespread violent death
havoc · annihilation · obliteration · demolition · wasteland · rubble · aftermath · catastrophe
Process of declining quality
- degradationDecline in condition
- rotOrganic breakdown process
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- corrosionChemical wearing away
aging · atrophy · wither · crumble · disintegration · blight · senescence · spoilage
Deadly epidemic disease
- epidemicWidespread disease occurrence
- pandemicGlobal disease outbreak
- pestilenceFatal epidemic disease
- contagionDisease spread by contact
scourge · affliction · outbreak · fever · infection · suffering · toll · victims
Combat engagement area
- casualtiesThose killed or wounded
- conflictOpposition between parties
- combatArmed hostile engagement
- siegeEncirclement forcing surrender
bombardment · carnage · soldiers · trenches · frontline · artillery · hostilities · pillage
Atmospheric breakdown of materials
- abrasionShallow surface wound
- wearCarry on person
- scouringVigorous abrasive cleaning
- attritionGradual reduction through loss
undercutting · gully · riverbanks · coastline · soil · sediment · deforestation · karst
ruin
Complete destruction or collapse
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
- desolationState of complete emptiness
- decimationNear-total destruction
carnage · havoc · annihilation · obliteration · demolition · wasteland · rubble · aftermath · catastrophe · calamity
deterioration
Process of declining quality
- degradationDecline in condition
- rotOrganic breakdown process
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
corrosion · aging · atrophy · wither · crumble · disintegration · blight · senescence · spoilage · molder
plague
Deadly epidemic disease
- epidemicWidespread disease occurrence
- pandemicGlobal disease outbreak
- pestilenceFatal epidemic disease
contagion · scourge · affliction · outbreak · fever · infection · suffering · toll · victims · mortality
battlefield
Combat engagement area
- casualtiesThose killed or wounded
- conflictOpposition between parties
- combatArmed hostile engagement
siege · bombardment · carnage · soldiers · trenches · frontline · artillery · hostilities · pillage · plunder
weathering
Atmospheric breakdown of materials
attrition · undercutting · gully · riverbanks · coastline · soil · sediment · deforestation · karst · sapping
years
Twelve-month spans
toll · passage · marks · scars · weathered · faded · worn · ancient · relentless · inexorable
- desolationbleakness, barrenness, emptiness, wasteland, desolation
- hurtsaches, burns, cuts, wounds, injures
ravagespreserves
Cooked fruit in sugar
protects · conserves · saves · safeguards · maintains
- ravages of timeCumulative damage from age