attrition

[ uh-trish-uhn ]

noun

1. a reduction or decrease in numbers, size, or strength:

   Our club has had a high rate of attrition because so many members have moved away.

2. a wearing down or weakening of resistance, especially as a result of continuous pressure or harassment:

   The enemy surrounded the town and conducted a war of attrition.

3. a gradual reduction in workforce without firing or layoff of personnel, as when workers resign or retire and are not replaced.
4. the act of rubbing against something; friction.
5. a wearing down or away by friction; abrasion.
6. Theology. imperfect contrition. contrition2

attrition

/ əˈtraɪtɪv; əˈtrɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of wearing away or the state of being worn away, as by friction
2. constant wearing down to weaken or destroy (often in the phrase war of attrition )
3. Also callednatural wastage a decrease in the size of the workforce of an organization achieved by not replacing employees who retire or resign
4. geography the grinding down of rock particles by friction during transportation by water, wind, or ice Compare abrasion corrasion
5. theol sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation, esp as contrasted with contrition, which arises purely from love of God

Derived Forms

• atˈtritional, adjective
• attritive, adjective

Other Words From

• at·tri·tion·al adjective
• at·tri·tive [uh, -, trahy, -tiv], adjective
• in·ter·at·tri·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of attrition¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Latin attrītiōn- (stem of attrītiō ) “friction”; attrite, -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of attrition¹

C14: from Late Latin attrītiō a rubbing against something, from Latin atterere to weaken, from terere to rub

Example Sentences

Some of the performance in 2020 can be attributed to the injury bug and attrition that ravaged the offensive line, and the lack of spring practice and pandemic-affected fall camp couldn’t have helped.

From FiveThirtyEight

A permanent war of attrition will, in the long run, be hugely damaging for both sides.

From The Daily Beast

The brutality and attrition of cycling is, of course, what makes it so thrilling to follow, but it can also evoke the deadly days of Formula 1 in the 1960s and 1970s, which prompted drivers like Jackie Stewart to demand better safety precautions.

From Outside Online

Our attrition rate in all the countries that we operate is half of that of the national average.

From Time

There is more reason to marvel, a welcome balance to a season-long deluge of attrition and fatigue.

From Washington Post

It is not a decisive war, with a single, signature victory, but a war of attrition.

From The Daily Beast

But there is no consensus about what the attrition of ISIS looks like.

From The Daily Beast

The past two months have been a war of attrition between the Hong Kong government and pro-democracy protestors.

From The Daily Beast

Sen. Rand Paul has called for the “attrition if not an outright elimination of the IRS.”

From The Daily Beast

Following the attrition of heavy industry in the 1980s, the income gap across the United Kingdom has grown substantially.

From The Daily Beast

River sand is frequently used, but is not so good as pit sand on account of the particles being rubbed smooth by attrition.

From Project Gutenberg

When arising from rough friction or attrition, they are more commonly called abrasions.

From Project Gutenberg

How charming, how delightful, how inspiring is the eloquence which is kindled by the attrition of gifted minds!

From Project Gutenberg

Anti-attrition, an′ti-at-trish′on, n. anything which counteracts attrition or friction—also figuratively.

From Project Gutenberg

Neither of them had the slightest traces of gangue, or vein-matter, nor of attrition in being removed from the parent beds.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• erosion