attrition

attrition

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Pronunciation

The IPA phonetic spelling for "attrition" is:

• /əˈtrɪʃ.ən/

Here's a breakdown of the sounds in each syllable:

• at-:

• /ə/ - a schwa sound, like the "a" in "about."

• -tri-:

• /trɪ/ - a combination of the "tr" sound, followed by a short "i" as in "bit."

• -tion:

• /ʃən/ - the "sh" sound, followed by a schwa and an "n" sound.

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Word Form Variations

• attrition (noun):

• This is the base form, referring to a gradual reduction or wearing away. It's generally used as an uncountable noun.

• attritional (adjective):

• This adjective describes something related to or characterized by attrition. For example, "attritional warfare."

• attritive (adjective):

• This is another adjective form.

Key points to remember:

• "Attrition" itself doesn't typically have a plural form like "attritions." It refers to a process, so it's usually used in a singular, uncountable sense.

• The most common variations are the adjective forms that describe something related to the process of attrition.

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Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms

1. Attrition (Noun)

• Definition:

• A gradual and often subtle process of wearing down, weakening, or reducing something through sustained pressure, loss, or depletion.

• The natural or expected loss of personnel or resources over time.

• The act of wearing away by friction.

• Synonyms:

• Erosion, depletion, decay, weakening, reduction, decrease, deterioration, abrasion, consumption, loss.

• Antonyms:

• Increase, growth, expansion, augmentation, buildup, gain, accumulation.

Examples of noun use:

• "The company reduced its workforce through natural attrition."

• "The war became a war of attrition, with both sides suffering heavy losses."

• "Coastal attrition is a major problem in some areas."

2. Attritional (Adjective)

• Definition:

• Relating to or characterized by the process of gradual wearing down or depletion.

• Describing a process that causes gradual loss or weakening.

• Synonyms:

• Depleting, erosive, weakening, diminishing, consuming.

• Antonyms:

• Increasing, strengthening, building, reinforcing.

Examples of adjective use:

• "They engaged in attritional warfare, aiming to wear down the enemy's resources."

• "The business suffered attritional losses due to market changes."

3. Attritive (Adjective)

• Definition:

• Causing or characterized by wearing away; tending to cause attrition.

• Synonyms:

• Wearing, eroding, abrasive.

• Antonyms:

• Constructive, building.

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Examples of Use

1. Military/Political Context:

• "For the Ukrainian forces, this war is one of attrition." (Washington Post)

• This highlights the use of "attrition" to describe prolonged conflicts where the goal is to wear down the enemy's resources and manpower.

• "Over the next dozen years, Haitian rebels and French soldiers waged a vicious war of attrition." (Washington Post)

• This example shows how the term is used in historical context.

• "There could be attrition on the right if those lawmakers take too much heat and walk away." (Fox News)

• Here, "attrition" refers to the gradual loss of members within a political group.

2. Business/Employment Context:

• "Attrition is high among social workers because of the difficult work and poor pay." (Merriam-Webster)

• This illustrates the use of "attrition" to describe the loss of employees in a specific profession.

• "In business, attrition happens when employees are dismissed or leave a company, for any reason, and are not replaced by another employee." (VidCruiter)

• This provides a clear business definition of the term.

• "The longer the pause between basket and payment, the bigger the attrition rate of customers who drop out." (Forbes)

• This shows the use of attrition in the context of customer retention.

3. General Discourse:

• "Of course, fans don't want to hear about injuries and how football is a game of attrition." (orlandosentinel.com)

• This example demonstrates how "attrition" is used in sports to describe the wearing down of players over time.

• "Coastal attrition is a major problem in some areas."

• This is an example of the word used in a geographical context.

Key Observations:

• The concept of "gradual loss" is consistent across all these examples.

• "Attrition" is often used in situations involving prolonged struggles or processes.

• The word is used in very formal news reporting, and also in less formal sports reporting.

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10 Famous Quotes Using Attrition

1. "War of attrition, war of wills. That's what the Stanley Cup playoffs are - more intense, more physical and more prolonged than the playoffs of any other sport." (George Vecsey)

2. "We were succeeding. When you looked at specifics, this became a war of attrition. We were winning." (William Westmoreland)

3. "The press is still investing itself, it seems to me, in a sort of cynicism. It comes out better for them if they can predict hard times, bogging down, sniping, attrition." (Christopher Hitchens)

4. "I am concerned about any attrition in customer traffic at Starbucks, but I don't want to use the economy, commodity prices or consumer confidence as an excuse. We must maintain a value proposition to our customers as well as differentiate the Starbucks Experience. That is the key." (Howard Schultz)

5. "Success is just a war of attrition. Sure, there's an element of talent you should probably possess. But if you just stick around long enough, eventually something is going to happen." (Dax Shepard)

6. "But I don't want massive layoffs of anyone - public or private. We are planning on shrinking government through attrition and reform, not through random pink slips." (Scott Walker)

7. "Certainly the attrition rate of Hollywood couples looms large." (Brad Pitt)

8. "The earlier you invest, the higher that attrition rate is because it's compounded. We have a more scientific method of investment." (Dave McClure)

9. "Israel cannot afford a war of attrition." (Avigdor Lieberman)

10. "Employing more women at all levels of a company, from new hires to senior leaders, creates a virtuous cycle. Companies become more attuned to the needs of their female employees, improving workplace culture while lowering attrition." (Susan Wojcicki)

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Etymology

Essentially, "attrition" comes from the Latin word "atterere," which means "to rub against, wear away." Imagine rubbing two stones together repeatedly; that's the basic idea behind the word's origin.

Here's a more detailed look:

• Latin Roots:

• "At-" means "to" or "toward."

• "Terere" means "to rub."

• So, "atterere" literally means "to rub toward" or "to rub against."

• Early Meaning:

• The word first appeared in English in the 15th century. Initially, it retained the core meaning of "wearing away by rubbing." Think of the physical process of something being worn down by friction.

• Evolution of Meaning:

• Over time, the meaning broadened. It began to encompass any gradual process of wearing down or weakening, not just by physical rubbing. This is how we get its modern uses, like:

• The gradual loss of soldiers in a war.

• The slow decline of a company's workforce.

• The erosion of a shoreline.

In essence, "attrition" has moved from a very literal, physical meaning to a more abstract one, but the core idea of a gradual wearing down remains the same. It's like the slow, steady process of something being eroded or reduced over time.

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Phrases + Idioms Containing Attrition

Common Phrases:

• "War of attrition":

• This is by far the most common phrase. It describes a prolonged conflict where each side seeks to gradually wear down the other through continuous losses of personnel and resources. This is used in military, business, and even sports contexts.

• "Attrition rate":

• This phrase is widely used in business and human resources. It refers to the rate at which people leave an organization.

• "Natural attrition":

• This phrase is used to describe the gradual reduction of a workforce or other group through normal processes like retirement, resignation, or death, rather than layoffs.

Why Limited Idioms?

• "Attrition" is a fairly formal word.

• Its core meaning is quite literal (wearing down), which doesn't always translate well to metaphorical idioms.

Phrases with Synonymous Effect:

Because "attrition" implies gradual loss, we can look at idioms that express similar ideas:

• "To bleed dry":

• This idiom suggests a gradual depletion of resources, similar to the effect of attrition.

• "To whittle down":

• This phrase means to gradually reduce something, again capturing the essence of attrition.

• "Death by a thousand cuts":

• This idiom refers to a lot of small problems that add up to a big problem. This has a similar effect to attrition.

Observations:

• The most prominent use of "attrition" is in the context of prolonged struggles, especially "war of attrition."

• The use of "attrition rate" has become very common in business situations.

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Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA

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Source Information

Definition of attrition from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.

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