Words / C2

depr-uh-DAYSHUN/ˌdeprəˈdeɪʃn/

Depredation is an act of attacking, plundering, or causing damage (often plural: depredations): the depredations of time, depredation of a file. Damage is everyday harm; rapacious (already in the dictionary) is aggressively greedy, of a taker, and wanton (already in the dictionary) is needless reckless destruction. Scrupulous (already in the dictionary) care with a figure is the contrast. “Tidying” the raw file is not a methods virtue.

Meaning

An act of attacking, plundering, or causing damage (often plural: depredations).

Examples

• “Depredation of the raw file is not “tidying”; keep the n.”
• “Rapacious is grabbing and greedy (already in C2). Wanton is needless destruction (already in C2). Scrupulous is carefully honest (already in C2) — the contrast. A named residual edit can still be exact. A clean-up that never states the cell is a hole. Keep the number; then the polish.”

Good to know

Plundering; damaging attack. Close: rapacious / wanton (already in C2). Contrast: scrupulous (already in C2). Tidying ≠ an n.

Near in meaning

plunder, ravage, pillage, damage

New