decimated

adjective

dec·​i·​mat·​ed ˈde-sə-ˌmā-təd 

1

: drastically reduced especially in number

… the decimated population of Atlantic salmon that once gamboled in dozens of rivers in the northeastern United States …

—Pete Bodo

A denuded forest may one day regrow; the decimated culture that called it home sadly will not.

—Stephen Messenger

2

: destroyed or significantly harmed

… its dusty streets, scattered with burned out vehicles and flanked on either side by decimated buildings.

—Jay Akbar

Many workers may want to delay retirement to replenish decimated 401(k) portfolios …

—Emily Brandon

Can we take as governor a man who'd give $46 million in public money to a bottling lobby, instead of using it to salvage decimated public programs?

—David Nyhan

see also decimate

Examples of decimated in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Israel’s military campaign since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks has erased entire families, spawned starvation and disease, and decimated medical infrastructure in Gaza. —Abeer Salman, CNN, 3 Feb. 2025

Implicit in that move: Studios were facing a decimated release calendar due to production shutdowns and delays at the beginning of last year. —Chris Lee, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2025

Aoun's selection on Thursday is one important step toward addressing a decimated economy and financial system, and to marshal funds to repair costly destruction from a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that ended in November. —Jawad Rizkallah, NPR, 9 Jan. 2025

But brief blasts of rain could cause flash flooding that would loosen soil and debris on charred hillsides, sending it tumbling toward decimated neighborhoods. —Karina Tsui, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined at sense 1