as in depredation
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Recent Examples of despoliation
On social media, Tan was pugilistic to the point of belligerence, casting his political enemies as corrupt malefactors responsible for the despoliation of his beloved city.
—
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
In the face of such extensive despoliation, grassroots opposition has emerged.
—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
The two latest examples of that despoliation are the Regina Bypass, an expensive highway completed in 2019, and the Global Transportation Hub, an expensive logistics center (canada’s premier inland port) built in 2009.
—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
In the face of such extensive despoliation, grassroots opposition has emerged.
—
Scott W. Stern,
The Atlantic,
2 Oct. 2025
The two latest examples of that despoliation are the Regina Bypass, an expensive highway completed in 2019, and the Global Transportation Hub, an expensive logistics center (canada’s premier inland port) built in 2009.
—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for despoliation
Noun
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No amount of macho beatdowns in the UFC cage matches on the White House lawn will make anyone forget Epstein’s depredations.
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The striped bass shark depredations have also been occurring off Chatham’s Monomoy Island — a hotspot for seals, which attract great white sharks.
Noun
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The Boulder County Sheriff's Office is investigating a robbery and assault that left a 73-year-old hiker unconscious and his wallet gone.
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Some of those arrested were undocumented migrants detained for violating immigration rules, while others were arrested for public violence, harboring illegal immigrants and robbery.
Noun
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At least four people have been killed as violence and looting spread across the country, Reuters reported.
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Last year, the NCMM received 113 Benin Bronzes from the Netherlands—the largest single return of Benin antiquities directly linked to the 1897 British looting, according to the commission.
Noun
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Some have traveled farther as part of colonial-era collections — as far as the British Museum — and been returned; a story unto itself about the plundering of the natural world in the age of empire, and institutions reckoning with their inheritance.
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Living through the aftermath of Rome’s plundering in 410 by the Visigoths, Augustine keenly appreciated the fact that empires come and go.
Noun
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Amid the pillaging of homes, Roman magistrates were likely sent to the city to prevent an anarchic type of existence, based on ancient literary sources the authors referenced in the study.
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In fact, researchers know that pirates – basically just thieves on the water – targeted these river boats, because Egyptian pharaohs left records grumbling about pirates and their widespread pillaging.
Noun
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Article continues below Unfortunately, a passing asteroid deposits a killer alien robot in their midst, and the soldiers must fend for themselves as this marauding mech stalks them with guns and lasers blazing.
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Rutter, the club’s record £40m buy from Leeds United, was an instant hit last season with insatiable work rate and marauding runs until an ankle injury ruled him out from March for the rest of the campaign.
Noun
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To the family’s lawyer, Markus Stötzel, the case is a typical example of Nazi plunder in need of immediate restoration.
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The second — a fastball Horwitz hit about 100 mph for a double to right field — was the start of a Pirate plunder at Sutter Health Park.
Cite this Entry
“Despoliation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/despoliation. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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