🎁 A holiday package to celebrate the season! Click here and shop now!

TextRanch

The best way to perfect your writing.

Discover why 1,062,726 users count on TextRanch to get their English corrected!

1. Input your text below.
2. Get it corrected in a few minutes by our editors.
3. Improve your English!

One of our experts will correct your English.

Our experts

wipe out the population vs decimate the population

Both phrases are correct, but they have different meanings and connotations. 'Wipe out the population' means to completely destroy or eliminate the entire population, while 'decimate the population' means to reduce it by a significant amount, traditionally by one-tenth. The choice between the two depends on the degree of destruction or reduction you want to convey.

Last updated: March 28, 2024 • 801 views

wipe out the population

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to mean completely destroy or eliminate the entire population.

This phrase is used when referring to the complete destruction or elimination of a population, leaving no survivors.

Examples:

  • The virus could wipe out the population of the island if not contained.
  • The tsunami wiped out the population of the coastal town.
  • The nuclear disaster threatened to wipe out the population of the region.

Alternatives:

  • eradicate the population
  • annihilate the population
  • exterminate the population
  • eliminate the population
  • destroy the population

decimate the population

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to mean to reduce by a significant amount, traditionally by one-tenth.

This phrase is used when referring to a significant reduction in the population, often implying a large-scale loss of life.

Examples:

  • The war decimated the population of the city.
  • The famine decimated the population of the country.
  • The plague decimated the population of the village.

Alternatives:

  • reduce the population significantly
  • cut the population by a large amount
  • diminish the population greatly
  • slash the population numbers
  • deplete the population

Related Comparisons

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9TextRanch on TrustPilot).

Why choose TextRanch?

Lowest prices
Up to 50% lower than other online editing sites.

Fastest Times
Our team of editors is working for you 24/7.

Qualified Editors
Native English experts for UK or US English.

Top Customer Service
We are here to help. Satisfaction guaranteed!

×

💝 TextRanch Holidays Offer! 💝️

25% special discount
Stock up on credits for the entire year!

Grab this offer now!