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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The viral photos and videos of the destruction have elicited strong emotions for many Americans.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
-
As time passes, pressure increases, communication falters, and every decision carries the weight of potential destruction.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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What remains is devastation at an almost unimaginable scale.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 2025
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The devastation was so severe that rebuilding and recovery seemed years away.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Before getting protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1970, North Atlantic right whales were hunted commercially, which led to their near extinction in the early 1900s, according to the Marine Mammal Commission.—
Lex Goldstein,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
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But over exploitation often followed, leading to depletions and extinctions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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To better understand how these storms can wreak so much havoc, our research team created simulations to show how storms interact with Earth’s natural magnetic shield and trigger the dangerous geomagnetic activity that can shut down electric grids.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Oct. 2025
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The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But more important to the story than the autobiographical details, which in any case are swallowed up by the vortex of fiction, is the devastating loss of meaning that accompanies the death of a child.—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
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For midlife patients, that often means managing menopause symptoms, bone loss and metabolic changes brought on by hormone therapy.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The images that emerged last week of the sudden demolition of the White House’s entire East Wing have inspired an array of feelings.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
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Trump’s recent demolition of the East Wing to construct a new multimillion-dollar ballroom has sparked a wave of criticism, including from historians and preservation groups.—
Dominick Mastrangelo,
The Hill,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimation. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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