Word | Meaning | Synonyms |
Lacerate | 1. To tear roughly; mangle: The barbed wire lacerated his hands. 2. To distress or torture mentally or emotionally; wound deeply; pain greatly: His bitter criticism lacerated my heart. | Tear, snap, rupture, bust Wound, spite, offend, injure, hurt, bruise, rend, torment |
Ravage | 1. Make a pillaging or destructive raid on (a place), as in wartimes 2. Cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly | Depredate, lay waste/to, desolate, scourge, Harry (Annoy continually or chronically), Forage (to wander or go in search of provisions.) |
Decimate | 1. Kill one in every ten, as of mutineers in Roman armies 2. To destroy a great number or proportion of: The population was decimated by a plague. | Wipe out, stamp out, annihilate, eradicate, obliterate |
Subvert | 1. To overthrow (something established or existing). 2. To cause the downfall, ruin, or destruction of. 3. To undermine the principles of; corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality | Undermine, sabotage, overturn, disrupt, bring down, Counteract, Countermine Debase, debauch, deprave |
Extort | 1. To wrest or wring (money, information, etc.) from a person by violence, intimidation, or abuse of authority; obtain by force, torture, threat, or the like. 2. To compel (something) of a person or thing: Her wit and intelligence extorted their admiration. | Extract, Elicit, Wring, Wring from, Squeeze, Educe (to infer or deduce) |
Sabotage | Destroy property or hinder normal operations (can be used as a noun also) | Undermine, weaken, subvert, counteract, countermine, disrupt |
Jeopardize | Pose a threat to; present a danger to | Endanger, peril, menace, threaten, put at risk, lay on the line, imperil |
Decapitate | Cut the head of | Behead, guillotine, decollate |