decimated

adjective

dec·​i·​mat·​ed ˈde-sə-ˌmā-təd 

1

: drastically reduced especially in number

… the decimated population of Atlantic salmon that once gamboled in dozens of rivers in the northeastern United States …

—Pete Bodo

A denuded forest may one day regrow; the decimated culture that called it home sadly will not.

—Stephen Messenger

2

: destroyed or significantly harmed

… its dusty streets, scattered with burned out vehicles and flanked on either side by decimated buildings.

—Jay Akbar

Many workers may want to delay retirement to replenish decimated 401(k) portfolios …

—Emily Brandon

Can we take as governor a man who'd give $46 million in public money to a bottling lobby, instead of using it to salvage decimated public programs?

—David Nyhan

see also decimate

Examples of decimated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On this day in 1940: The sun rose on the decimated city of Coventry, England, after German bombers waged an attack for more than 10 hours into the early morning. —Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 15 Nov. 2025

Communities are just decimated and trying to survive. —MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025

Now in his ninth season, Shanahan’s roster is more decimated than it’s ever been by the midway point, and that includes the 2020 campaign that also was marred by the COVID pandemic. —Cam Inman, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025

The third-year quarterback watched in a hoodie as the Bills took advantage of a decimated offensive line and Dalton’s limited mobility by sacking the 37-year-old backup seven times. —Joseph Person, New York Times, 27 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for decimated

• abdicated
• abrogated
• acclimated
• activated
• actuated
• adumbrated
• advocated
• aggravated
• aggregated
• agitated
• allocated
• alternated