attrition
noun
[ əˈtrɪʃ(ə)n ]
• the process of reducing something's strength or effectiveness through sustained attack or pressure.
• "the council is trying to wear down the opposition by attrition"
Similar:
wearing down,
wearing away,
weakening,
debilitation,
enfeebling,
sapping,
attenuation,
harassment,
harrying,
• (in scholastic theology) sorrow for sin, falling short of contrition.
Origin:
late Middle English (in attrition (sense 2)): from late Latin attritio(n- ), from atterere ‘to rub’.
war of attrition
• a prolonged period of conflict during which each side seeks to gradually wear down the other by a series of small-scale actions.
