decimated

IPA/ˈdes.ɪ.meɪt/
KK[dˈɛsəmˌetɪd]IPA/ˈdes.ə.meɪt/

decimated — verb

  • decimatedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • decimateds3rd person singular
  • decimateding-ing form
  • decimatededpast simple

1. to destroy or kill such a large proportion of a group, population, or system tha

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to destroy or kill such a large proportion of a group, population, or system that only a small, weakened part remains

Example

A sudden outbreak of disease decimated the farm's chicken flock within a single week.

The wildfire decimated the ancient forest, turning miles of green woodland into blackened ash.

decimate + noun phrase (wildfire decimated forest)

Common collocations
  • decimate the population
  • decimate the workforce
  • decimate the ecosystem
  • decimate the industry
Synonyms
  • devastate

    Similar strength but focuses more on emotional or physical ruin, not necessarily numerical reduction

  • annihilate

    Stronger — implies near-total or complete destruction

  • ravage

    Describes violent, sweeping damage over a wide area, often used for land or crops

Antonyms
  • preserve

    To keep something safe from harm or destruction

  • restore

    To bring something back to its former good condition

Grammar Patterns

be + decimated + by + noun phrase

decimate + noun phrase

Usage Note

Commonly used with natural disasters, diseases, budget cuts, or wars as the agent. Often in passive voice when focusing on the affected group rather than the cause.

Common Mistakes

The storm decimated the roof of the house.
The storm severely damaged the roof of the house.
'decimate' describes large-scale destruction of a whole group, not damage to a single object.
Ten soldiers were decimated in the battle.
The battalion was decimated in the battle, losing over half its troops.
'decimate' refers to destroying a large proportion of a group, not killing a small number of individuals.

decimated — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs describe severe damage or destruction, but they differ in scope and focus. 'Decimate' specifically means that a large portion — though rarely all — of a group has been killed or removed, leaving a much smaller remainder. 'Devastate' can apply to physical destruction (a devastated town) or emotional ruin (devastated by the news) and is slightly less precise about numerical loss. 'Annihilate' is the strongest: it suggests total or near-total wiping out, leaving virtually nothing behind. 'Ravage' often describes violent, uncontrolled damage spreading across a wide area, such as a disease ravaging a country or a storm ravaging the coast. 'Destroy' is the most general — it simply means to put something out of existence or useful condition. In a sentence about population loss, you might say 'The disease decimated the village (killed many),' but if you say 'annihilated the village,' you imply almost no one survived.

decimate ↗devastate ↗annihilate ↗ravage ↗destroy ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be decimated by disease
  • be decimated by war
  • be decimated by budget cuts
  • leave something decimated

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Comes from Latin 'decimare', meaning 'to take a tenth'. In ancient Rome, a legion that mutinied was punished by executing one out of every ten soldiers — a practice called decimation. By the 1700s, English speakers had broadened the word's meaning to any large-scale destruction, not just one-tenth. In modern use, the word simply means 'to destroy a large part of something', without the original mathematical precision.

First known use

1658

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1