Meaning & use
depredation
Last updated
Meanings
nounusually pluralformalliterary
An act of plundering or destroying, especially a raid that damages property or takes goods.
Grammar: Usually plural: the depredations of the invaders.
Patterns
- the depredations of someone
- depredations by someone
The village suffered the depredations of roving bandits.
Farmers complained about the depredations of wolves on their flocks.
Centuries of depredation had left the temple in ruins.
nounusually pluralfigurative
The slow damaging of something valuable by harmful forces, such as neglect or time.
Grammar: Figurative; the subject is often time, weather or neglect.
Patterns
- the depredations of something
The old library survived the depredations of time.
The depredations of mass tourism are visible on the coast.
Her garden shows the depredations of a hard winter.
Word forms
| plural | depredations |
|---|
Common combinations
- the depredations of
- Residents recalled the depredations of the army.
- suffer depredations
- The coast suffered depredations from illegal fishing.
- depredations of time
- The manuscript survived the depredations of time.
- wartime depredations
- Wartime depredations destroyed the farmland.
- escape the depredations
- Few towns escaped the depredations of the raiders.
Synonyms and how they differ
- plunder
- Plunder focuses on taking goods by force, whereas depredation also includes the damage done.
- ravages
- Ravages stresses destruction by a force such as disease or war, and is about damage more than theft.
- pillage
- Pillage means to rob a place violently, especially in war, and is less formal than depredation.
- predation
- Predation is a biology term for animals hunting other animals, and does not suggest wanton destruction.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: depredation or deprecation? depredation or depreciation?
depredation vs deprecation
Deprecation means disapproval, or marking something as outdated; depredation means plundering.
depredation vs depreciation
Depreciation is loss of value over time, which is a different idea.
Practice
The farm never recovered from the ____ of the soldiers, who stole the animals and burned the barns.
Choose one answer.
Depredations means plundering and destruction. Depreciations are drops in value, deprivations are lacks of essentials, and deputations are groups sent as representatives.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “depredation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.