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
-
GameStop’s $65 billion, half-cash/half-stock bid would heavily dilute shareholders, add risky leverage, and require an unrealistically high valuation multiple, making value destruction more likely than creating an Amazon rival.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
-
The letter warns that these dynamics are not only driving environmental destruction but also weakening Indigenous governance and territorial control.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
The environmental devastation left behind is immense.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
13 May 2026
-
Former reality television star and current Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt welcomed Mother’s Day with an emotional video highlighting the devastation of the 2025 California wildfires on his family.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Cable looked like an extinction event for broadcast.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026
-
For now, Northbrook Court has no plans of closing its doors, but from the looks of it, it may soon be headed toward extinction.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
The inconsistent role wreaked havoc with his shot.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Just ask Panthers guard Robert Hunt, who has stories about Eagles fans climbing onto opposing team buses and wreaking havoc.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The day after that loss, per team sources, Brunson approached the team before practice about needing to re-shift the collective mindset.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
The Aces, who were coming off a 33-point blowout opening day loss to Phoenix on Saturday, scored 33 of their points in the third quarter and that’s when the wheels fell off for the Sparks.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
The New York Knicks took care of business, to say the least, against the Philadelphia 76ers with another utter demolition on the road in a close-out game.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
The group also hopes this pending purchase protects the house from demolition, something the property owner is pushing for even though a previous request to demolish was denied last year.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimation. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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