Master confusing words with ease
Decimate vs. Annihilate
Decimate
/ˈdesəmeɪt/Examples:
The drought will likely decimate the agricultural yields.Overfishing has significantly decimated the salmon population.A large scandal could decimate the company's reputation swiftly.
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Antonyms:
Annihilate
/əˈnaɪəleɪt/Examples:
The team annihilated their rivals in a stunning victory.The wildfire annihilated thousands of acres in mere hours.Researchers aim to annihilate the virus with a new vaccine.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Both words imply destruction, but decimate originally referred to reducing something by a tenth, a much smaller scale compared to annihilation.
- Annihilate suggests completely destroying something, leaving nothing behind, whereas decimate often implies severe damage or reduction but not total obliteration.
- You can remember decimate by its root deci, related to ten, indicating a partial reduction.
- Annihilate shares the root with nihil, meaning nothing, which can help recall its meaning of total destruction.
- Use decimate for situations involving significant damage but not complete ruin and annihilate when referring to complete obliteration.
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