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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for depredation
Noun
-
Here, Clay, played by Al Freeman Jr., is a fool too easily lured by Lula’s unhinged seduction, all but assuring his destruction.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The Hollywood Reporter,
8 Mar. 2025 -
But when a new threat presents itself, the group reunites to figure out their mission and prevent Earth’s destruction.—
Jacqueline Weiss,
People.com,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
This is not the doomsday scenario of human extinction that some people in the AI field have warned could arise from the technology.—
Paulo Carvão,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Colossal Biosciences, the world’s first company dedicated to bringing back animals from extinction, just got one step closer to its ambitious goal.—
Bruce Gil,
Quartz,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The site of the slaughter in the novel is called Camp Patience.—
Fintan O’Toole,
New York Times,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Although lynchings have steadily increased in number and barbarity during the last twenty years, there has been no single effort put forth by the many moral and philanthropic forces of the country to put a stop to this wholesale slaughter.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
A week after the massacre, two hundred soldiers and six hundred and fifty Chinese miners arrived in Rock Springs.—
Michael Luo,
The New Yorker,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Additionally, a camera operator on the doc appears to have shown support on social media for the Oct. 7 massacre in 2023, when Hamas killed around 1,200 people.—
Lily Ford,
The Hollywood Reporter,
2 Mar. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Depredation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depredation. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share