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 If convicted, Hinton faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the arson charge and up to 10 years for the depredation charge, according to Hertzberg. — ABC News, 23 Oct. 2026 This is among the many depredations that this supposedly mainstream Administration has committed. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for depredation

Noun

The extermination company Terminix ranked 50 cities in the United States with the worst rodent infestations and Sacramento is on the list.

— Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado Updated October 21, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
For properties other than single-family homes and duplexes, the statute addresses reasonable provisions for clean and safe common areas along with services such as garbage removal and extermination of certain pests.

— Emma Clapp, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of extermination

Noun

About 90% of the city was flooded following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, according to the White House.

— Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
The suspect, 27-year-old Miguel Alonso Maldonado Soriano of Stafford, Virginia, has been charged with felony destruction of property, trespass with intent to damage, and felony injury to a monument, court records show.

— Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of destruction

Noun

Recently, Bezos’ Earth Fund committed $100 million to a new environmental alliance looking to save endangered species from extinction.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 23 Oct. 2026
A week ago, another study in the journal Nature by the IUCN found that nearly 44% of reef-building coral species face an elevated risk of extinction due to climate change.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of extinction

Noun

By the time security forces regained control, entire communities had been devastated by the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Oct. 2026
By the third episode, murderous Jason begins to more prominently feature in episodes, and the gory deaths begin, as a swarm of innocent hippies ignore warnings and are drawn into the camp, like lambs to the slaughter.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of slaughter

Noun

Under Burgum's 2025 campaign, signs, books, films and exhibits covering topics such as slavery, climate change and the massacre of Native Americans were flagged and removed from national parks and monuments nationwide.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
But outrage erupted as tour proceeds are set to fund the radical Palestinian Youth Movementâa extreme group that openly cheered Hamas's brutal October 7 massacre.

— Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of massacre

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depredation

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“Depredation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/depredation. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of depredation

noun

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