Attrition
/əˈtrɪʃən/
nounC1
Definition
Attrition means a slow and steady decrease in number or strength. It often refers to people leaving a group, job, or army, or to things wearing down or becoming less effective over time. It is not a sudden loss but happens little by little.
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⚡ See It in Action
Gradual loss of people, especially workers or soldiers
- •The company faced high attrition as many employees left each year.
- •Military attrition reduced the army's size after months of fighting.
- •The school’s attrition rate increased due to student transfers.
Gradual wearing down or weakening of something
- •The attrition of the rocks by the river made them smooth and small.
- •Machine parts suffer attrition after long use and need replacement.
🧲 Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "attrition" like "loss," but slower and happening bit by bit over time, not quickly
- ✓Picture a group of people slowly leaving a room one by one until only a few remain
- ✓It's the feeling when you notice your favorite shoes getting thinner and weaker after many wears
- ✓Sounds like "a-TRISH-un" → imagine a soft wind slowly taking away leaves from a tree, little by little
- ✓In stories, armies lose soldiers through attrition when they keep fighting but slowly lose people without big battles
- ✓NOT like "drop" (sudden fall), attrition is slow and continuous loss
- ✓NOT like "quit" (one person stops), attrition is about many people leaving over time
- ✓NOT like "damage" (instant harm), attrition is gradual weakening or loss
🔄 Try Other Words
- •Wear and tear: gradual damage from use (Use when talking about objects or materials getting old or weak)
- •Dropout: someone who leaves a group or school (Use when referring to individuals leaving, not the slow group process)
- •Turnover: rate of people leaving a job or group (Use when talking about employees leaving a company)
- •Decline: general decrease or reduction (Use when the decrease is about numbers or quality, not only people)
🔍 Unboxing
- •Prefix: "at-" (a form of "ad-" meaning "to" or "toward")
- •Root: "trit-" from Latin "terere" meaning "to rub" or "wear down"
- •Suffix: "-ion" meaning "the act or process of"
- •Origin: From Latin "attritio," meaning wearing down by rubbing or friction
- •Historical use: First used in English in the 15th century to describe wearing down by friction; later used for slow loss of people or strength
- •Modern use: Common in business and military to describe slow loss of people; also used in geology and material science for wearing down
💭 Reflect & Connect
•How can understanding attrition help managers keep their employees longer?
•Can attrition be a positive process in some situations? When and why?
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
1.The company’s attrition rate ___ because many employees found better jobs elsewhere.
2.Attrition happens slowly and ___, not like a sudden event or accident.
3.Unlike a sudden drop in sales, attrition shows a ___ loss over time.
4.In war, attrition causes armies to lose soldiers ___ without large battles.
5.Machines show attrition after ___ use and need parts replaced.
6.High attrition in a school means many students ___ before finishing.
7.When people leave a group gradually, we say the group is experiencing attrition ___ time.