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
But until that moment, the one when Towns sank a seemingly unimportant bucket during what turned into a 49-point decimation of the 76ers, those types of shots had evaporated.
—
Fred Katz, New York Times, 26 Feb. 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
Dozens of publications have printed lengthy editorials on the eventuality of job decimation.
—Zack Kass, Fortune, 23 Jan. 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
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
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
Fred Katz, New York Times, 26 Feb. 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
Dozens of publications have printed lengthy editorials on the eventuality of job decimation.
—Zack Kass, Fortune, 23 Jan. 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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimation
Noun
-
Washington has no answer to any of these questions – only a theory of destruction.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Jalloh’s lengthy criminal history includes more than 30 arrests for charges of rape, assault, drug possession, property destruction, identity theft, trespassing, firing a weapon, grand larceny, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and pickpocketing.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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First there was Alexander Bublik, whaling his racket into the green court behind the baseline against Rinky Hijikata with abandon and devastation.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The balance Jean strikes between devastation and liberation emphasizes the appreciation one brings to the other.—
Larisha Paul,
VIBE.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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If not stopped it has the potential to cause an extinction-level global ice age.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
-
To save men’s basketball without putting football on a road to extinction was thought to be impossible in June 2018, by which time Dan Hurley was hired to replace Ollie, when UConn joined the Big East.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Saudi Arabia has stepped up direct engagement with Iran to try and contain a war in the Middle East that is causing havoc and stressing global markets, according to several European officials.—
Donato Paolo Mancini,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The change launches biannual arguments about the practice, wrecks havoc on sleep and has inspired voters to go to California polls.—
Hannah Poukish,
Sacbee.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Mavs rookie Cooper Flagg was assessed the first technical foul of his NBA career during Dallas’ loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.—
R.J. Coyle,
Dallas Morning News,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Detroit is in the middle of a rough patch with four straight losses, but still holds the East’s top record at 45-18.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
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His Eagle project was the demolition of some old baseball dugouts in Glendale, said Darin Life, former committee chairman for Troop 221.—
ALLEN G. BREED,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
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His Eagle project was the demolition of some old baseball dugouts in Glendale, said Darin Life, former committee chairman for Troop 221.—
Allen G. Breed,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimation. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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