noun

attrition

uh-TRIHSHN

noun

A gradual wearing down or reduction, especially of staff or resources over time rather than through direct cuts.

"The department shrank through attrition rather than layoffs."

"Years of attrition wore the army down before the final battle."

The physical wearing away of a surface by friction or grinding.

"The rock face showed signs of attrition from centuries of wind and sand."

How to Use Attrition

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA slow, steady wearing-down or thinning-out, often used for staff numbers or military losses over time.

Memory tip

Attrition is almost always gradual and passive — people leave or things wear away on their own, nobody actively removes them.

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Common pairings

natural attrition a war of attrition staff attrition rate

attritioned past tense, attritions plural, attritions singular

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The department shrank through _____ rather than layoffs.

From Latin attritio, "a rubbing against," from atterere, "to wear down" — built from ad- ("towards") and terere ("to rub").

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