ATTRITION

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does attrition mean? 

• ATTRITION (noun)
  The noun ATTRITION has 5 senses:

1. erosion by friction

2. the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice

3. sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation

4. a wearing down to weaken or destroy

5. the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction

  Familiarity information: ATTRITION used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ATTRITION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Erosion by friction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

abrasion; attrition; corrasion; detrition

Hypernyms ("attrition" is a kind of...):

eating away; eroding; erosion; wearing; wearing away ((geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it))

Derivation:

attritional (relating to or caused by attrition)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

abrasion; attrition; detrition; grinding

Hypernyms ("attrition" is a kind of...):

friction; rubbing (the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another)

Derivation:

attritional (relating to or caused by attrition)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

attrition; contriteness; contrition

Hypernyms ("attrition" is a kind of...):

regret; rue; ruefulness; sorrow (sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A wearing down to weaken or destroy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

a war of attrition

Hypernyms ("attrition" is a kind of...):

decrease; drop-off; lessening (a change downward)

Derivation:

attritional (relating to or caused by attrition)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("attrition" is a kind of...):

detrition; friction; rubbing (effort expended in moving one object over another with pressure)

Derivation:

attritional (relating to or caused by attrition)

 Context examples 

Telomere attrition and mutations in p53 and BRCA2 are likely to contribute to these phenotypes.

(Pancreatic Cancer Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/KEGG)