Meaning & use
attrite
Last updated
To wear down, reduce, or weaken gradually through sustained pressure, friction, or repeated losses.
See it in a sentence
The prolonged siege attrited the garrison's supplies and morale.
Continuous shelling attrited the enemy's armored divisions over several weeks.
A note on using this word
"Attrite" is the back-formed verb from "attrition," most often used in military and economic writing to describe gradual reduction through sustained pressure.
Words with a similar meaning
wear downerode
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
reinforcereplenish
Another way to use it
2. adjective
Adjective, rare: worn down by friction or rubbing.
The attrite surface of the ancient coin made its markings hard to read.
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