decimated

American  

[des-uh-mey-tid] / ˈdɛs əˌmeɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. greatly reduced in number or amount, or having suffered great loss or harm.

   The nonprofit agency has been struggling with a decimated staff and limited resources.

   After the massive earthquake, the only way to reach the decimated villages was by helicopter.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of decimate.

Etymology

Origin of decimated

decimate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Cuba has been going through its worst crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union, primarily because of decades of economic mismanagement, made worse by the Covid epidemic, which decimated its tourism industry.

From The Wall Street Journal

The conflict is Europe's deadliest since World War II, with hundreds of thousands killed, millions forced to flee their homes and much of eastern and southern Ukraine left decimated.

From Barron's

Spirit Lake, decimated by the avalanche, blast, and debris field, was initially unrecognizable to those who had known it before the eruption.

From Literature

This is made worse by an independent press that has been decimated and replaced by magpies chirping for attention and any chance to go viral.

From Salon

Crops needed to stave off starvation have been decimated.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• annihilate
• exterminate
• obliterate
• slaughter
• wipe out