Sean Miller
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#petpeeves

People who use 'decimated' to describe the utter destruction of something.

Decimation was the Roman practice of killing 1 out of every 10 men in a seditious military unit.

It literally means reducing a unit by 10%.
08:43 AM - Oct 12, 2023
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Andrea Ball
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In response to Sean Miller.
That is the literal, original meaning. It is commonly used to mean near or total destruction. I’d rather fuss over reticent/reluctant and the like.
09:39 AM - Dec 23, 2023
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Sean Miller
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Hey, that’s why it’s a pet peeve. 🙂

I’ve never not understood their meaning but it’s simply the wrong word.

Decimated is not the same as devastated. On this hill I will make my stand.
In response to Andrea Ball.
12:16 PM - Dec 23, 2023
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Andrea Ball
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In response to Sean Miller.
The newer usage is named in many dictionaries, with the original listed as historical . Some usage does change over time. OTOH, I did say “literally decimated “ in conversation recently—whether to clarify or to indicate that I knew the meaning, I can’t say.
12:33 PM - Dec 23, 2023
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