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

Theatrical revenue still deeply lags that of 2019, before the pandemic decimated moviegoing habits. —Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026

Unable to find an outside buyer for the now financially decimated company, Leonard Green finally sold its majority stake back to Lee and Topper in 2021. —Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 9 Apr. 2026

Yurtseven debut The Warriors’ roster is so decimated that the team asked a G-League center to play the same day he was signed. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026

Then, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, urban renewal swept through the area, leaving in its wake a decimated city stretch and the displacement of hundreds of residents and local businesses. —Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Feb. 2026

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