as in extermination
formal
a usually violent act in which something is damaged or destroyed or in which a person or animal is killed
The town had somehow escaped the depredations of enemy soldiers.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depredation
Noun
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For the United States, high rates of job destruction—even if accompanied by faster productivity growth—could be devastating politically.—
Matthew J. Slaughter,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025 -
Current calculations give a 1% or greater chance of collision capable of localized destruction.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The deeper reason for the extinction event at USAID is Trump’s contempt for anything that looks like cooperation between the strong and the weak.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2025
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Megafauna extinction led forest understories to darken once again, with the model predicting a long-term increase in seed size as a result.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Fatted calves for eventual psychic sacrificial slaughter?—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
14 Feb. 2025
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The outbreak has resulted in the slaughter of millions of hens in an effort to curb the spread, resulting in higher egg prices.—
Louis Casiano,
Fox News,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The tipster said a friend had access to an AR-15 rifle, had just ordered a bulletproof vest and admired Nikolas Cruz, who carried out a February 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 14 students and three school staff members.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN,
15 Feb. 2025
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The actual site of the massacre, however, has been relegated to history books.—
Sarah Holzmann,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Depredation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depredation. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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