Synonyms of decimating

decimating

verb

present participle of decimate

as in destroying

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

• destroying
• ruining
• demolishing
• shattering
• devastating
• wrecking
• smashing
• damaging
• overcoming
• ravaging
• wasting
• annihilating
• eroding
• extinguishing
• vaporizing
• pulverizing
• marring
• razing
• crippling
• killing
• totaling
• crushing
• defeating
• wracking
• creaming
• dismantling
• removing
• blasting
• nuking
• tearing down
• breaking
• subduing
• pulling down
• doing in
• desolating
• injuring
• conquering
• trimming
• disintegrating
• harming
• impairing
• clobbering
• mutilating
• deteriorating
• spoiling
• eradicating
• rubbing out
• licking
• dissolving
• mangling
• obliterating
• mastering
• whipping
• routing
• prevailing (over)
• gutting
• slaughtering
• disfiguring
• exterminating
• walloping
• surmounting
• besting
• winning (against)
• scouring
• thrashing
• beating
• dynamiting
• defacing
• plundering
• wearing (away)
• assassinating
• vitiating
• liquidating
• murdering
• extirpating
• undoing
• trouncing
• sacking
• pillaging
• disassembling
• triumphing (over)
• sweeping (away)
• expunging
• massacring
• trampling
• executing
• despoiling
• vandalizing
• looting
• overmatching
• trashing
• dispatching
• scotching
• blowing up
• washing out
• slaying
• effacing
• overbearing
• wiping out
• butchering
• zapping
• drubbing
• stamping (out)
• blotting out
• taking down
• dilapidating
• cutting down
• rooting (out)
• skunking
• killing off
• mowing (down)
• unmaking
• felling
• snuffing (out)
• taking out
• unbuilding
• havocking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• constructing
• building
• raising
• creating
• erecting
• repairing
• rearing
• fixing
• producing
• setting up
• forming
• making
• shaping
• establishing
• inventing
• putting up
• assembling
• protecting
• manufacturing
• constituting
• preserving
• organizing
• forging
• framing
• fashioning
• revamping
• fabricating
• instituting
• molding
• saving
• patching
• reconditioning
• conserving
• restoring
• founding
• doctoring
• mending
• bringing about
• rebuilding
• reconstructing
• remodeling
• fathering
• renovating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of decimating

But these relatively weak protections for hundreds of acres of identical plants have resulted in outbreaks decimating crops that people depend on. —Lily Peck, The Conversation, 17 Feb. 2026

Say goodbye to criminally high rental prices, steep mortgages, and the thought of decimating your savings with this modern, cabin-style tiny home that is ready to open its doors to you and welcome you to your dream life. —Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 11 Feb. 2026

Last week, the paper fired close to half of the staff who remained after a previous round of layoffs, gutting its local and international desks, decimating its sports and arts coverage, and eliminating Book World altogether. —Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026

Those snakes went on to reproduce and thrive in South Florida’s subtropical climate, decimating some ecosystems. —Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 30 Jan. 2026

The administration began its term by decimating scientific research and public health expertise. —Isabella Cueto, STAT, 29 Dec. 2025

Nearly five years of conflict have since ravaged Myanmar, wedged between China and India, decimating what was for a time one of the region’s fastest-growing economies. —Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025

In 2018, as California was laying the groundwork to build a new 911 system for the state, a massive fire ripped through Butte County, decimating several Northern California communities and killing over 80 people. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 23 Nov. 2025

Israel, meanwhile, has emerged from the war in a much stronger security position after decimating Hamas in Gaza, slamming Hezbollah in Lebanon, and hammering Iran's nuclear facilities. —Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025