attrition

[ uh-trish-uhn ]

/ əˈtrɪʃ ən /

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See synonyms for: attrition / attritional / attritive on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

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.

a gradual reduction in workforce without firing or layoff of personnel, as when workers resign or retire and are not replaced.

the act of rubbing against something; friction.

a wearing down or away by friction; abrasion.

Theology. imperfect contrition.See under contrition (def. 2).

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Origin of attrition

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

OTHER WORDS FROM attrition

at·tri·tion·al, adjectiveat·tri·tive

[uh-trahy-tiv], /əˈtraɪ tɪv/, adjectivein·ter·at·tri·tion, noun

Words nearby attrition

attribution theory, attributive, attributively, attrit, attrite, attrition, Attu, Attucks, Attucks, Crispus, attune, attuned

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use attrition in a sentence

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.
Oklahoma State Football Is Trying To Reach New Heights With A Familiar Game Plan|Richard Johnson|June 25, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
A permanent war of attrition will, in the long run, be hugely damaging for both sides.
Will Harry and Meghan Markle’s Baby Daughter Lead to a Royal Reconciliation?|Tom Sykes|June 6, 2021|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.
Would You Let Your Kid Become a Pro Cyclist?|Eben Weiss|June 4, 2021|Outside Online
Our attrition rate in all the countries that we operate is half of that of the national average.
How Leena Nair, Unilever’s Head of HR, Sees the Future of Work in a Post-Pandemic World|Suyin Haynes|May 23, 2021|Time

There is more reason to marvel, a welcome balance to a season-long deluge of attrition and fatigue.
As this strange NBA season starts to get good, the Wizards are suddenly doing the same|Jerry Brewer|April 22, 2021|Washington Post
It is not a decisive war, with a single, signature victory, but a war of attrition.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But there is no consensus about what the attrition of ISIS looks like.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The past two months have been a war of attrition between the Hong Kong government and pro-democracy protestors.
The Monuments Men of Occupy Hong Kong|Brendon Hong|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sen. Rand Paul has called for the “attrition if not an outright elimination of the IRS.”
Huckabee: ‘A Tax Is Punishment’|Lloyd Green|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Following the attrition of heavy industry in the 1980s, the income gap across the United Kingdom has grown substantially.
Scotland’s ‘Yes’ Campaign and the Myth of Scottish Equality|Noah Caldwell|September 18, 2014|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.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
When arising from rough friction or attrition, they are more commonly called abrasions.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
How charming, how delightful, how inspiring is the eloquence which is kindled by the attrition of gifted minds!
Beacon Lights of History, Volume VII|John Lord
Anti-attrition, an′ti-at-trish′on, n. anything which counteracts attrition or friction—also figuratively.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
Neither of them had the slightest traces of gangue, or vein-matter, nor of attrition in being removed from the parent beds.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820|Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

British Dictionary definitions for attrition

attrition

/ (əˈtrɪʃən) /

noun

the act of wearing away or the state of being worn away, as by friction

constant wearing down to weaken or destroy (often in the phrase war of attrition)

Also called: natural wastage a decrease in the size of the workforce of an organization achieved by not replacing employees who retire or resign

geography the grinding down of rock particles by friction during transportation by water, wind, or iceCompare abrasion (def. 3), corrasion

theol sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation, esp as contrasted with contrition, which arises purely from love of God

Derived forms of attrition

attritional, adjectiveattritive (əˈtraɪtɪv), adjective

Word Origin for attrition

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for attrition

attrition

[ ə-trĭsh′ən ]

A wearing away by friction or rubbing, such as the loss of tooth structure caused by abrasive foods or grinding of the teeth.

attrition

Origin of attrition

OTHER WORDS FROM attrition

Words nearby attrition

Words related to attrition

How to use attrition in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for attrition

Derived forms of attrition

Word Origin for attrition

Medical definitions for attrition