wreaking or capable of wreaking complete destruction; "possessing annihilative power"; "a devastating hurricane"; "the guns opened a withering fire";
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination; "a crushing blow"; "a crushing rejection"; "bone-crushing";
making light of; "afire with annihilating invective"; "a devastating portrait of human folly"; "to compliments inflated I''ve a withering reply"- W.S.Gilbert;