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
The liberal wing of the court sees the decision as a decimation of the Voting Rights Act.
—
Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
The third generation of Garrods experienced the decimation of the fruit orchard business and, seeking another stable form of income, began boarding horses in 1962.
—Laura Ness, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026
Clairvoyance came during an early-March decimation of the Nuggets.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Upon learning that dogs were allowed to roam on the lawn, the reason for its decimation became clear, since this grass, although touted for its shade and drought tolerance, is highly sensitive to dog urine and dog digging.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Decades of foreign policy, and most recently, the decimation of foreign aid, has created conditions in which people across the Americas must migrate for survival.
—Taylor Crumpton, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
Opened in 1927 in response to the near-decimation of the koala population in Australia – the cuddly creatures were hunted for their pelts – Lone Pine is now home to about 100 koalas along with other native Australian fauna.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
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
Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
The third generation of Garrods experienced the decimation of the fruit orchard business and, seeking another stable form of income, began boarding horses in 1962.
—Laura Ness, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2026
Clairvoyance came during an early-March decimation of the Nuggets.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Upon learning that dogs were allowed to roam on the lawn, the reason for its decimation became clear, since this grass, although touted for its shade and drought tolerance, is highly sensitive to dog urine and dog digging.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Decades of foreign policy, and most recently, the decimation of foreign aid, has created conditions in which people across the Americas must migrate for survival.
—Taylor Crumpton, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
Opened in 1927 in response to the near-decimation of the koala population in Australia – the cuddly creatures were hunted for their pelts – Lone Pine is now home to about 100 koalas along with other native Australian fauna.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 12 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimation
Noun
-
Israeli troops occupy more than 10% of Lebanese territory, leaving a trail of destruction that has seen swaths of the country’s south all but razed.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
There are those who would write her off, and perhaps her timidity before America’s facilitation of Gaza’s destruction has earned that dismissal.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Pop says the devastation of Iran accounts for the impression Satrapi first made on him.—
Joobin Bekhrad,
Time,
10 June 2026
-
On Thursday, June 4, Good Grief, which details the making of the singer's first album in seven years and the devastation of loss she's faced, premiered at the Tribeca Festival.—
Ilana Kaplan,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
The Tapanuli orangutan struggle to withstand even small increases in death rates and annual losses of more than 1% a year likely put the species on a path toward extinction, Meijaard said.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
-
That would come as a surprise to variola major, the virus that caused smallpox, driven to extinction by a vaccine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Though the Ducks created havoc in the Vegas crease with 30 seconds left and surrendered a chance at the buzzer, the third period ended scoreless to extend Saturday’s showdown.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
23 Nov. 2025
-
Astronomers have discovered that an aging red giant star has a closely orbiting stellar companion, which could be causing havoc to the star's processes.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
18 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Don’t let five losses in his last six bouts scare you.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
15 June 2026
-
The Spurs accrued a 10-point lead at that point, blitzing the Knicks with the type of pressure expected from a team that was a loss away from an offseason filled with sadness.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Research also suggests that recycling construction and demolition waste could meet half of China’s aggregate demand by 2050.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
-
The former Cooley High School in West Detroit is scheduled for demolition, but vandals broke down a fence and forced open a door to get inside the building over the weekend.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimation. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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