decimated

Definition of decimatednext
past tense of decimate
as in destroyed
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of the army's attack decimated the enemy's defenses beyond repair

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decimated The previously unbeaten Seminoles were decimated by player opt-outs, and the game simply carried no weight. Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 15 July 2026 The exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox date back to the 1948 founding of Israel, when a small number of students sought to revive the Jewish scholarship system after it was decimated during the Holocaust. Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026 The passage of the CCCA would replicate the disastrous 2010 Durbin Amendment, which decimated debit card rewards. Raquel Mitchell, Boston Herald, 8 July 2026 Student loans are rising, graduate jobs are being decimated, and AI is threatening to make essay writing a redundant practice. Eric Francia, Fortune, 7 July 2026 After a 1928 freeze decimated the grapevines, the area’s winemakers replanted, sought Saint Mark’s protection, and commissioned Luxembourgian sculptor Claus Cito to create a statue of the saint, which now occupies a niche in the tower. Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2026 The funeral comes as Iran seeks to project stability after months of war that decimated much of its senior political and military leadership. Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 4 July 2026 The chicks are part of a global effort to reintroduce the species, which was decimated by the invasive brown tree snake. Finch Walker, USA Today, 3 July 2026 When the Spanish settlers decamped for Cuba in 1763 after ceding Florida to the English, the few surviving Tequesta, their numbers decimated by 200 years of captivity and slavery, conflict and ill treatment, are believed to have departed with them. Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 30 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimated
Verb
  • But just like all other houses in Collins First Nation, her home was completely destroyed by the fires.
    Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • The 1951 Flood claimed lives, destroyed homes and businesses, and scattered one of Kansas City’s largest Hispanic communities.
    Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026
Verb
  • What once was a world of fellowship has been ruined, covered in a pall of fear.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 July 2026
  • Dial said his arrest went on his record and ruined his career as an investment broker.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Verb
  • Audemard said two-thirds of those buildings collapsed, and everything in the complex will need to be demolished.
    Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • The Rike Concert Hall in Tbilisi, Georgia, is set to be demolished.
    News Desk, Artforum, 21 July 2026
Verb
  • The clinics are stocked with medical supplies and generators to help restore healthcare in communities devastated by the earthquakes.
    Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
  • The fire in rural Guadalajara comes less than two weeks after a deadly blaze devastated a small expat community in southern Spain.
    ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Verb
  • When the driver did not emerge after officers repeatedly ordered him out of the SUV, an officer shattered the window.
    Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • Experience Doesn't Replace Understanding COVID-19 shattered the traditional office, boomers are working longer and Gen Z brings new expectations.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Verb
  • France Under-21 international Jacquet, who arrived in a £60million ($81m at current exchange rates) move from French club Rennes, is fit to feature after recovering from the shoulder injury which wrecked the second half of last season for him.
    James Pearce, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • But in recent history, the Spanish national soccer team has repeatedly wrecked the plans of dreamers and screenwriters.
    Filip Bondy, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026
Verb
  • And then, suddenly, a male orca soared into view, belly up, and smashed his head into the dead fish.
    Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 23 July 2026
  • Beyond shooting incidents, a recent American Civil Liberties Union report found dozens of incidents across eight states since January 2025 where immigration officers rammed into people's cars, smashed vehicle windows and struck people with cars.
    Juliana Kim, NPR, 22 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Decimated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimated. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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