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 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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decimation
Noun
-
The incident prompted Christian leaders from around the world — including Pope Leo XIV — to urge Israel to stop its destruction of holy sites and civilian lives in Gaza and the West Bank.—
April 20,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
-
May the world know that Americans are ashamed and suffering and locked into despair and destruction, which now affects the world.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Amid the devastation, strangers formed profound, life-altering bonds in fleeting, life-or-death moments and connections that have endured for decades.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Spurs must somehow move on from the palpable devastation that left Kevin Danso on the floor, needing to be pulled up by his team-mates, and other players looking utterly crestfallen at the final whistle.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Minnesota is in the midst of an extinction crisis, with entire species being wiped out before they can even be identified.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Founded by Hampshire alum Aaron Lansky in 1980 as an effort to save Yiddish-language publications from extinction, the Yiddish Book Center purchased the land for its permanent campus space from the college in 1997.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If there’s trust on the back end, James can move up closer to the line of scrimmage to make plays and wreak havoc.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
For Trudeau, this week’s wildfires are yet another sign that climate change is wreaking havoc on natural ecosystems and increasing fire activity across the country, including in historically humid landscapes.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For thousands of data-loss victims, the last resort is a recovery service called DriveSavers.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The lack of disclosure comes as other states record mounting losses in tax revenue to data center subsidies.—
Kevin Hardy,
Baltimore Sun,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Trump has also repeatedly railed against a federal judge who ordered construction on the ballroom — which required the surprise demolition of the White House’s East Wing — to be temporarily halted until the president receives authorization from Congress.—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
-
One minute, the robots are a construction crew, and the next, a demolition team.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decimation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decimation. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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