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Showing results for "decimated"

past participle of decimate.
past tense form of decimate.

Synonyms

decimated

American

[des-uh-mey-tid] / ˈdɛs əˌmeɪ tɪd /

adjective

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.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of decimate.

Etymology

Origin of decimated

decimate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Poaching has decimated Cambodian wildlife, creating doubts about about whether the Cardamoms has enough prey for tigers to eat.

From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026

Shoppers could hardly find eggs in stores early last year, a period when producers said avian flu had decimated the hen population.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

Past marine heat waves have decimated California’s kelp, “with bull kelp habitats declining 90% in Northern California since 2014,” Jaros said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2026

Over the next two quarters, real estate and banks were decimated.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

And definitely don’t attach a figure to the damage: The earthquake decimated seventy-five percent of Morticia’s antiques.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.