attrition

American  

[uh-trish-uhn] / əˈtrɪʃ ən /

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

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attrition British  

/ 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 called: natural 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

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Other Word Forms

• attritional adjective
• attritive adjective
• interattrition noun

Etymology

Origin of attrition

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

Explanation

Attrition is a gradual process of wearing down, weakening, or destroying something. When a company wants to reduce its payroll without firing anyone, it will sometimes do so through attrition; that is, by waiting for people to retire or quit without hiring anyone new to replace them. In a more general sense, the word means break down, wear out, or reduce in numbers. A triple overtime basketball game, with many players fouling out, is a war of attrition. When you see the word attrition, think "Gradually chipping away."

Example Sentences

The shift toward infrastructure targets risks turning the conflict into a war of economic attrition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

They have stepped forward in this championship, but with each Irish try and each moment of Irish attrition you were reminded of the distance Scotland have left to travel.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

CFO Jay Stasz says the advertisement may have reminded consumers to cancel their memberships, and attrition rates have begun to decline with the messaging changes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

"We're already seeing a significant drop in applications for nursing degree programmes – over 30% reduction compared to five years ago. We've seen attrition rates from nursing programmes which we've never seen before," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

He’d had good experiences with almost all of them, though in his business there was an above-average rate of attrition and turnover.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers

Related Words

• erosion