DEPREDATION Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

depredation

noun

Definition of depredation

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.

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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.

Recent Examples of depredation That compares with 21 depredations by wolves so far this year, with about $25,000 paid to ranchers whose cattle were killed by wolves. — Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 23 Sep. 2026 The agency rarely gets involved to lethally remove a wolf who has been involved in depredation events, though this year the agency has intervened a few times. — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Not until early in the next century did Congress take on the depredations of Gilded Age plutocrats. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026 Melissa Farris, 41, of Elizabethtown, was arrested on federal charges of depredation against property of the United States and destruction of veterans' memorials, according to previous reporting. — Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 28 Aug. 2026 She was charged with depredation against federal property and destruction of veterans’ memorials. — Liam Scott, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026 As the Shiite arc of alliance weakens from Iran to Lebanon due to the US/Israeli depredation of Tehran’s power, Sunni states look set to fill the vacuum. — Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 No amount of macho beatdowns in the UFC cage matches on the White House lawn will make anyone forget Epstein’s depredations. — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 The striped bass shark depredations have also been occurring off Chatham’s Monomoy Island — a hotspot for seals, which attract great white sharks. — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 15 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for depredation

Noun

California’s system of water law dates back to the Gold Rush, when the state government promoted the extermination of Native people to make way for white settlers.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
But hope is not lost in Shelley’s reworking of the bleak vision of postapocalypse as terminal and total extermination of life.

— Eileen Hunt, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of extermination

Noun

Although television coverage suggested the capital had escaped the widespread structural destruction visible in communities closer to the epicenter, the earthquake caused major disruptions to daily life.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
In the heady satire about elites causing worldwide climate destruction, Cruise plays the titular Digger Rockwell, an out-of-touch oil tycoon.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of destruction

Noun

LeCun is more concerned about AI regulatory capture than human extinction.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
The Florida panther was close to extinction when the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, the predecessor of the Endangered Species Act, was passed and led to changes that began to help stabilize the population.

— Timothy Randhir, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of extinction

Noun

One of the leading explanations for its origin goes back to an older meaning of the word ‘bucket’ — a beam or yoke from which animals could be suspended during slaughter.

— Jim Dudlicek, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
Now, as then, the dehumanization of Arab and Muslim lives is embedded in the very language used to describe their slaughter.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of slaughter

Noun

The vast majority expressed deep distress and anger at their government after the massacres that took place in response to January’s mass protests.

— Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
Galschiøt, who is perhaps best known for his 2021 Pillar of Shame, commemorating the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre, was invited to bring the sculpture to Strasbourg by left-wing Danish European Parliament member Per Clausen.

— News Desk, Artforum, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of massacre

Noun

By then, fire had ravaged the community; the report suggests that incident commanders were unaware of the devastation.

— Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
How to Help Nepal’s Flood Victims Despite the devastation, there has been a beacon of hope.

— Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of devastation

Browse Nearby Words

depredating

depredation

depredations

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Style

“Depredation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depredation. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of depredation

noun

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