Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'ravage'

English Word: ravage

Key Russian Translations:

• разорить /rə.zɐˈrʲitʲ/ - [Formal, often used in contexts of destruction or devastation]
• опустошить /ɐ.pʊˈsto.ʂʲitʲ/ - [Formal, implies exhaustive destruction or depletion]

Frequency: Medium - These verbs are not everyday vocabulary but appear frequently in historical, environmental, or disaster-related discussions in Russian media and literature.

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate) - Involves understanding verb conjugations and context-specific usage; for "разорить," it's B2, while "опустошить" may lean toward B2-C1 due to its nuances in perfective aspect.

Pronunciation (Russian):

разорить: /rə.zɐˈrʲitʲ/ - Stress on the third syllable; the 'р' is rolled, and the 'й' is a soft palatal approximant.

Note on разорить: Be mindful of the soft sign (ь) affecting the preceding consonant, making it softer; common in formal speech.

опустошить: /ɐ.pʊˈsto.ʂʲitʲ/ - Stress on the third syllable; the 'ш' is a voiceless postalveolar fricative.

Note on опустошить: The initial 'о' can vary slightly in casual speech to /a/, but in standard pronunciation, it's as above. Variations may occur in dialects.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary Meaning: To cause severe destruction or devastation (as a verb)

Translation(s) & Context:

• разорить - Used in contexts of widespread ruin, such as in wars or natural disasters; formal and literary.
• опустошить - Applied to scenarios involving depletion or exhaustive damage, like exhausting resources; often in more poetic or formal writing.

Usage Examples:

• Война разорила всю деревню, оставив жителей без крова.

  The war ravaged the entire village, leaving the residents homeless.

• Ураган опустошил прибрежные районы, уничтожив дома и инфраструктуру.

  The hurricane ravaged the coastal areas, destroying homes and infrastructure.

• Экономический кризис разорил многие семьи, лишив их средств к существованию.

  The economic crisis ravaged many families, depriving them of their means of livelihood.

• Засуха опустошила поля, сделав их непригодными для посева на годы.

  The drought ravaged the fields, making them unsuitable for planting for years.

• Войска разорили город, но жители быстро начали восстановление.

  The troops ravaged the city, but the residents quickly began rebuilding.

Secondary Meaning: The act or result of destruction (as a noun, though less common)

Translation(s) & Context:

• разорение - Noun form, referring to the state of ruin; used in historical or formal contexts.

Usage Examples:

• Разорение от войны оставило глубокий след в истории страны.

  The ravage of war left a deep mark on the country's history.

• Природные разорения, такие как наводнения, часто бывают непредсказуемыми.

  Ravages like floods are often unpredictable natural events.

• Экологические разорения угрожают будущим поколениям.

  Environmental ravages threaten future generations.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

Both primary translations ("разорить" and "опустошить") are perfective verbs in Russian, which means they express completed actions. They follow standard Russian verb conjugation patterns for the first conjugation group.

Note: These verbs do not have imperfective counterparts in their exact forms, but related imperfectives like "разорять" exist for ongoing actions. Nouns like "разорение" are indeclinable in some cases but follow standard neuter noun patterns.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • уничтожить (unichtozhit') - More general for destruction; often interchangeable but less emphatic on long-term effects.
  • разрушить (razrushit') - Similar to ravage but focuses on structural breakdown; commonly used in everyday language.
• Antonyms:
  • строить (stroit') - To build or construct.
  • восстанавливать (vosstanavlivat') - To restore or rebuild, emphasizing recovery from damage.

Related Phrases:

• Разорить страну - To ravage a country; used in historical contexts to describe invasion or war impacts.
• Опустошить ресурсы - To ravage resources; refers to overexploitation in environmental discussions.
• Война разорила землю - War ravaged the land; a common phrase in literature for depicting conflict's aftermath.

Usage Notes:

"Ravage" in English often implies widespread and severe damage, which aligns closely with "разорить" in Russian for physical destruction and "опустошить" for exhaustive depletion. Choose "разорить" for contexts involving human or natural disasters, as it's more common in formal writing. "Опустошить" is preferable when emphasizing emotional or resource exhaustion. Be aware of aspect in Russian: these are perfective verbs, so they're used for completed actions. For ongoing ravaging, pair with imperfectives like "разорять." In casual speech, simpler synonyms like "разрушить" might be more appropriate to avoid sounding overly formal.

Common Errors:

• Mistake: Using "разорить" interchangeably with "уничтожить" without considering context. Incorrect: "Я уничтожил дом" (when meaning ravage, not total annihilation). Correct: "Я разорил дом" for severe but not complete destruction. Explanation: "Уничтожить" implies total obliteration, which can overstate the English "ravage."
• Mistake: Forgetting verb conjugations, e.g., saying "разорил" for feminine subjects. Incorrect: "Она разорил village." Correct: "Она разорила деревню." Explanation: Russian verbs agree in gender, number, and person, unlike English, so always adjust endings based on the subject.
• Mistake: Overusing in informal settings. Incorrect: Using "разорить" in casual chat. Correct: Opt for simpler words like "разбить." Explanation: These verbs sound formal; misuse can make speech sound unnatural.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, words like "разорить" often evoke historical events such as the invasions by Napoleon or the World Wars, where vast territories were devastated. This reflects Russia's literary tradition in works by Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, where such vocabulary underscores themes of resilience and loss, helping users appreciate the emotional weight beyond mere destruction.

Related Concepts:

• война (war)
• катастрофа (disaster)
• восстановление (restoration)