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 Toss in how Vikings tight end TJ Hockenson decimated the defense the week prior and some serious conversations need to be had. — Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 With a swing to far-right populism, local production is being put through a political grinder, first in Javier Milei’s Argentina who decimated public-sector subsidies. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has decimated the country’s heritage. — Chris Stokel-Walker, Time, 15 Oct. 2026 In the course of that quest, Native populations were decimated. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 Further, the native Taino population had been decimated, and an investigator reported how Columbus used torture and mutilation as punishments. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 Up to 80% of the division staff did exactly that in a wave of departures that has decimated the division's institutional knowledge. — Ryan Lucas, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026 Hamas, which has been decimated but not yet unseated, has so far shown relative restraint and a willingness to absorb regular hits, including a series of assassinations of its members and regular airstrikes by Israel. — Khaled Elgindy, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2026 The only way Dallas wins is by outscoring teams and Dak Prescott should shred a secondary that has been decimated by injury. — Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimated
Verb
  • Firefighters battling a blaze that destroyed six homes in south Orange County can expect a bit of reprieve Saturday afternoon as Santa Ana winds begin to die down.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Its owners, a family of three, left for a cruise before the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel destroyed their property.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • My brother’s wife has ruined each and every get-together by having constant fights with her little boy about eating.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points, Jaylen Brown had 19, Joel Embiid had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and the Sixers ruined the Knicks' championship party.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Clare is now living with Wilcox; her home was demolished in the crash.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The Santa Maria Addolorata Church in West Town is being demolished to make way for six new homes.
    — Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • On Wednesday night, northern and central parts of the state saw hail the size of golf balls that pummeled people’s roofs, shattered windows and dented cars, along with damaging wind gusts.
    — Wufei Yu, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Hail pummeled people's roofs, shattered windows and dented cars.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Iran’s military has been devastated by American attacks, but the Iranian forces have continued to launch missiles, drones and naval operations to inflict damage in the region.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
  • At home, the United States had defeated their armies, destroyed their infrastructure, retaken their territory, emancipated their enslaved, and devastated their economy and society into a catastrophic mess.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Researchers believe the ship may have been traveling from the Levantine coast, which runs from Turkey in the north to Egypt in the south, to Troy or Crete when it was wrecked.
    — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The story centers on an influencer whose life is wrecked by an online pile-on.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Protesters have hurled rocks at police, burned government buildings, smashed shop windows and destroyed private property.
    — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Carl Court / Getty In cities across the country, demonstrators set fire to newsstands and smashed windows.
    — Max Butterworth, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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