attrition
/əˈtrɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈtrɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈtri-shən a-/ (ame, mw)
attrition — noun
1. The strategy or process of wearing down an opponent's strength, resources, or wi
The strategy or process of wearing down an opponent's strength, resources, or will to fight through repeated attacks or sustained pressure, rather than through a single decisive blow.
General Ibrahim knew a war of attrition would drain both armies before victory.
war of attrition — fixed collocation for prolonged conflicts
Mei-Lin argued that daily cyberattacks worked as attrition, slowly breaking the rival firm's security systems.
Throughout winter, the guerrilla forces used attrition to weaken the occupying army.
A steady campaign of sanctions became the main tool of economic attrition.
- erosion
more concrete and physical; erosion of rock vs. attrition of an enemy's morale
- depletion
focuses on using up a resource entirely, while attrition emphasises gradual wearing through external pressure
- wearing-down
more informal and literal; attrition is the formal term for the same idea
- breakthrough
a sudden decisive victory, the opposite of slow attritional pressure
- overwhelming force
a strategy that aims to win quickly through superior power, not gradual weakening
文法句型
war of attrition
attrition campaign
用法筆記
Often appears in the fixed phrase war of attrition, especially in military and political contexts. The sense assumes a long-term, indirect approach — not a quick knockout.
常見錯誤
2. The gradual shrinking of a workforce that occurs when departing employees are no
The gradual shrinking of a workforce that occurs when departing employees are not replaced, allowing an organisation to reduce headcount without resorting to layoffs.
The hospital relied on natural attrition, choosing not to replace nurses who retired or resigned.
natural attrition — key HR collocation for non-replacement downsizing
Ananya noticed the attrition rate rise sharply after the new overtime policy.
Instead of layoffs, the school board reduced its staff through attrition alone.
Wei's department lost three senior engineers this year through attrition, and no replacements were approved.
- natural wastage
British English synonym for attrition in HR contexts; less common in American usage
- workforce reduction
broader term that includes both layoffs and attrition; attrition is a specific type
- downsizing
can be active (firing) or passive; attrition is specifically passive
- recruitment drive
active hiring to increase staff numbers, the opposite of attrition-based reduction
- hiring freeze
related but distinct; a freeze stops all hiring, while attrition allows departures without replacement
文法句型
natural attrition
attrition rate
through attrition
用法筆記
Commonly modified by natural (natural attrition) to emphasise that departures are voluntary (retirement, resignation) rather than forced. The compound attrition rate is the standard metric in HR reporting.
常見錯誤
3. The phenomenon of students leaving a course or academic programme before complet
The phenomenon of students leaving a course or academic programme before completing it, often measured as a percentage or tracked by institutions as a metric of programme effectiveness.
The nursing course had high attrition, with a quarter leaving before year two.
high attrition — common adjective + noun pattern in academic contexts
Kenji's research examined attrition among first-year engineering students at three urban universities.
To combat attrition, the college paired new students with senior advisers.
Amina credited the low attrition to small classes and strong peer support.
- dropout rate
more direct and commonly understood by non-specialists; attrition sounds more formal
- retention failure
the inverse concept; attrition is what happens when retention fails
- student withdrawal
refers to the individual act; attrition refers to the aggregate pattern
- retention
the ability of an institution to keep students enrolled until completion
- graduation rate
the positive metric that contrasts with attrition as a negative one
文法句型
attrition rate
student attrition
high / low attrition
用法筆記
Often interchangeable with dropout rate in informal contexts, but attrition is preferred in formal academic research and institutional reporting. Closely related to sense 2 (workforce attrition) in its logic of gradual loss without replacement.
常見錯誤
4. The gradual erosion or wearing away of a surface or material caused by repeated
The gradual erosion or wearing away of a surface or material caused by repeated physical friction, scraping, or contact over an extended period.
Over centuries, wind and sand attrition wore the cliff face into a smooth, curved shape.
wind and sand attrition — typical agent pairing in geology
Diego's dentist spotted tooth attrition from years of grinding during sleep.
Attrition from thousands of daily footsteps had worn the museum's marble floor into shallow grooves.
River stones showed clear marks of attrition from tumbling against one another during seasonal floods.
- accretion
the gradual growth or build-up of material, the opposite of wearing away
- deposition
the laying down of sediment, opposite of attrition in geological contexts
文法句型
attrition of [material]
cause attrition
用法筆記
This is the original, literal sense from which the metaphorical senses (military, HR, education) are derived. In dentistry, tooth attrition specifically refers to wear caused by tooth-to-tooth contact (grinding), distinct from erosion (chemical) or abrasion (foreign objects).