Showing results for "decimated"

• past participle of decimate.
• past tense form of decimate.

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

See Examples For:

decimated

This deadly strain of bird flu has already decimated wild bird and mammal populations worldwide.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026

From "heatwave simulators" to ecological bootcamps, scientists and conservationists are trying ways to revive and reinforce the famous coral reefs off Japan's Okinawa, decimated by climate-driven bleaching two summers ago.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Boycotts of U.S. whiskey have decimated a key economic driver for the American South.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

She says they learned about the police raids through a Facebook post, which showed their home had been "decimated".

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

Chief Opechancanough did mount one more large attack on the settlers, in 1644, but by then the European population had grown and the Indian population had been decimated.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Related Words

• annihilate
• exterminate
• obliterate
• slaughter
• wipe out