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
-
Pratt did not deny the report and responded on X by blaming city leadership for the wildfire destruction.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
26 May 2026
-
The Pope also used his letter to issue the strongest papal condemnation of anti-migrant politics in years, sharply criticize modern capitalism and suggest climate destruction is a moral crime against the poor.—
Siladitya Ray,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
There was the devastation of extreme mental illness for Avedon’s sister and his second wife.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
-
The Strategic Defense and Security Review (SDSR) at the time stated that the world was headed in a much more dangerous state, but the fiscal devastation of the 2008 Financial Crisis pushed the Government into a series of cuts that were intended to be short-term.—
Michael Saunders,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Instant extinctions are not limited to mechanical innovations like photography and cinematography, however.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
-
Google Search is becoming an answer engine For Nicholas Bouliane, a software developer who runs the site All About Berlin, the prospect of Google answering users’ questions directly feels close to an extinction-level event already.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
The bad weather has wreaked havoc on the rest of the on-track schedule — postponing the Truck Series race and canceling aspects of the O’Reilly schedule weekend.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
23 May 2026
-
The Deland defense was led by Banks, who had three sacks in the game and made numerous tackles, wreaking havoc all night.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 May 2026
Noun
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The loss to the Galaxy also snapped Seattle’s 22-game home unbeaten streak across all competitions.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
-
Their run fell just short Saturday afternoon in a 10-9 loss to Stevenson at Barrington.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
The Knicks closed out Atlanta with an unprecedented 51-point demolition in Game 6 of the first round.—
Kristian Winfield,
Sun Sentinel,
25 May 2026
-
The Knicks closed out Atlanta with an unprecedented 51-point demolition in Game 6 of the first round.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimation. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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