Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Decimate'

English Word: decimate

Key Russian Translations:

• уничтожить [ʊnʲɪˈtoʐɨtʲ] - [Formal, General Usage]
• истребить [ɪstrʲɪˈbʲitʲ] - [Formal, Often Historical or Intense Context]
• опустошить [ɐpʊstɐˈʂɨtʲ] - [Formal, Often Metaphorical or Related to Devastation]

Frequency: Medium (used in specific contexts, often formal or literary)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate) for all translations due to contextual nuances

Pronunciation (Russian):

уничтожить: [ʊnʲɪˈtoʐɨtʲ]

Note on уничтожить: Stress on the third syllable; the "zh" sound is similar to the 's' in "measure".

истребить: [ɪstrʲɪˈbʲitʲ]

Note on истребить: Stress on the third syllable; ensure soft pronunciation of "b" due to palatalization.

опустошить: [ɐpʊstɐˈʂɨtʲ]

Note on опустошить: Stress on the fourth syllable; "shch" is a distinct sound in Russian, like 'sh' followed by 'ch'.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. To destroy a large number or proportion (literal or figurative)

Translation(s) & Context:

• уничтожить - Used for general destruction, often in military or catastrophic contexts.
• истребить - Often used for complete extermination, especially in historical or biological contexts.
• опустошить - Used for devastation, often of land, resources, or emotionally.

Usage Examples:

• Война уничтожила целые города.

  The war decimated entire cities.

• Эпидемия истребила половину населения.

  The epidemic decimated half the population.

• Засуха опустошила поля.

  The drought decimated the fields.

• Эта новость уничтожила все мои надежды.

  This news decimated all my hopes.

• Армия была почти полностью истреблена.

  The army was almost completely decimated.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

All translations are verbs and follow regular conjugation patterns in Russian. Below is the conjugation for уничтожить (perfective aspect):

Note: Similar patterns apply to истребить and опустошить. All are perfective verbs, often paired with imperfective forms (уничтожать, истреблять, опустошать) for ongoing actions.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for уничтожить:

• разрушить (to destroy, often physical)
• ликвидировать (to eliminate, often formal or official)

Antonyms for уничтожить:

• создать (to create)
• сохранить (to preserve)

Related Phrases:

• уничтожить врага - To decimate the enemy (military context).
• опустошить душу - To decimate the soul (emotional devastation).
• истребить вредителей - To decimate pests (biological or agricultural context).

Usage Notes:

• уничтожить is the most general and versatile translation, suitable for both literal and figurative destruction.
• истребить often implies a more thorough or intentional extermination, frequently used in historical or biological contexts.
• опустошить carries a sense of desolation or emptying, often used metaphorically (e.g., emotional devastation) or for natural disasters.
• Be mindful of aspect: Russian verbs have perfective (completed action) and imperfective (ongoing action) forms. Use perfective forms like уничтожить for one-time actions and imperfective forms like уничтожать for repeated or ongoing actions.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using уничтожить in an ongoing context. Incorrect: "Я уничтожаю врагов каждый день." Correct: "Я уничтожаю врагов каждый день" should be "Я уничтожаю врагов каждый день" (imperfective form).
• Error: Confusing опустошить with physical destruction only. It often implies emotional or metaphorical devastation. Incorrect: "Бомба опустошила город" (better to use уничтожила). Correct: "Засуха опустошила поля."

Cultural Notes:

In Russian, words like истребить are often associated with historical contexts, such as war or Stalinist purges, carrying a heavy emotional or historical weight. Use with caution in sensitive discussions.

Related Concepts:

• разрушение (destruction)
• катастрофа (catastrophe)
• потеря (loss)