Devastated by is the standard pattern for causes of strong emotional or physical damage. Other prepositions usually add separate time or place information.
Use devastated by to give the cause of emotional shock or destruction. Phrases with after, in, or at are usually extra details about time or place, not fixed combinations.
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
By introduces the event, person, or situation causing devastation.
After usually adds a time relationship rather than forming a fixed phrase with devastate.
In commonly introduces the affected place.
At can introduce the thing that triggered the emotional reaction.
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
For is not normally the preposition selected by devastate.
✕ She was devastated for the news. ✓ She was devastated by the news.By gives the cause; after gives timing.
✕ He was devastated after the criticism. ✓ He was devastated by the criticism.By should be followed by the cause.
✕ The town was devastated by. ✓ The town was devastated by the hurricane.Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
Yes. It is the most common and natural pattern for giving the cause.
Yes. At is possible when reacting emotionally to news, results, or events.
Not usually as a direct verb-preposition combination. For more often expresses duration or purpose in another part of the sentence.
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