as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the virtual decimation of the coastal town by the hurricane
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Recent Examples of decimation
Language purists like to remind anyone who will listen that decimation actually means the slaughter of one in ten people, and was the military punishment wielded by the Roman army against deserters and mutineers.
—
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
No doubt the decimation of the terrorist group’s ranks by Israeli strikes concentrated minds among its leaders.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
And then 95% of prisoners and detainees are eventually released to the community, where the decimation of life skills caused by solitary confinement makes successful reintegration much less likely.
—Terry Kupers, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
Now, the decimation of the environment and indigenous people across the world, from the palm oil plantations of Indonesia to the cobalt mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has reached the shores of Great Nicobar.
—M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
The decimation of critical institutions, like the NIH [National Institutes of Health] and the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], will lead to the loss of innocent lives.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 6 Sep. 2025
That purchase price represents a decimation of value for the retailer, which a decade ago had a market cap of more than $100 billion.
—Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
But if the administration's decimation of the IG community continues, IGs will be diminished and lack credibility, and Americans will continue to lose confidence in our government.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
The indiscriminate decimation of most homes and hospitals in Gaza, with a majority of those killed being women and children, was not expected.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
No doubt the decimation of the terrorist group’s ranks by Israeli strikes concentrated minds among its leaders.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
And then 95% of prisoners and detainees are eventually released to the community, where the decimation of life skills caused by solitary confinement makes successful reintegration much less likely.
—Terry Kupers, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
Now, the decimation of the environment and indigenous people across the world, from the palm oil plantations of Indonesia to the cobalt mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has reached the shores of Great Nicobar.
—M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
The decimation of critical institutions, like the NIH [National Institutes of Health] and the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], will lead to the loss of innocent lives.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 6 Sep. 2025
That purchase price represents a decimation of value for the retailer, which a decade ago had a market cap of more than $100 billion.
—Amy Feldman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
But if the administration's decimation of the IG community continues, IGs will be diminished and lack credibility, and Americans will continue to lose confidence in our government.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025
The indiscriminate decimation of most homes and hospitals in Gaza, with a majority of those killed being women and children, was not expected.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimation
Noun
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There are two questions Gazans have usually asked each other since the start of this campaign of unrelenting and systematic destruction, starvation, displacement and mass killing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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But catastrophes also tend to reveal deficits in society, and the patterns of destruction and abandonment that followed the fire—which have roots in America’s past and its present—tell us something about the country’s future, too.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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After constant requests during two years of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli military finally brings our correspondent into the territory to see the devastation in post-war northern Gaza firsthand.—
Greg Dixon,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
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In 2005, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, park officials made the decision to close Six Flags New Orleans permanently.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Sam Altman, of OpenAI, has claimed that generative AI could bring about the end of human civilization, and that AI poses a risk of extinction on a par with nuclear warfare and global pandemics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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And the global population of whales declined precipitously to the point of near extinction.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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At the center of all the glitzy havoc—her face often looming on a huge flat screen that rolls around the stage, following actors like a hulking LED stalker—is of course Chenoweth.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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After those rules are broken, the gremlin spawns more of its kind and end up wrecking havoc on Billy’s hometown during Christmas.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Maduro has ruled Venezuela with an iron fist since 2013 and has clung to power despite an apparently decisive loss in the 2024 presidential election.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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The former Indianapolis Colts owner didn’t want anyone to miss his message following the Colts’ catastrophic end-of-season collapse that was punctuated by a 26-11 loss to the 3-14 Jaguars.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The administration maintains that the NCPC has jurisdiction over construction rather than demolition.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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Barrett Lo has said demolition could begin before the end of 2025.—
Adrienne Davis,
jsonline.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimation. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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