erosion
/i'rouʤn/
Definition
- Noun:
- The process of being gradually worn away or destroyed by natural forces: Specifically, the wearing away of the earth's surface by water, wind, or glacial ice.
- A gradual decline or deterioration: A slow weakening or reduction of something, such as value, power, or confidence.
- The process of chemical dissolution or wearing away: Erosion caused by chemical action, such as acid rain on stone.
Usage
- Geological/Environmental Context: Used to describe the physical process affecting landscapes, soil, or coastlines.
- Figurative/Social Context: Used to describe the slow weakening of abstract concepts like rights, trust, or standards.
Examples
- Physical Erosion:
- Coastal erosion is a serious problem for many seaside towns.
- The canyon was formed by millions of years of water erosion.
- Figurative Erosion:
- There has been a steady erosion of public trust in the government.
- The erosion of traditional values is a common theme in modern society.
Advanced Usage
- "Erosion of rights": The gradual reduction or undermining of legal or civil rights.
- Activists warned against the erosion of privacy rights.
- "Soil erosion": A specific term for the wearing away of the top layer of soil, a major environmental concern.
- Farmers planted trees to prevent soil erosion.
Variants and Related Words
- Erode (verb): The action of causing erosion.
- The riverbank is being eroded by the strong current.
- Erosive (adjective): Having the ability to erode.
- The erosive power of glaciers shaped the valley.
Synonyms
- Wearing away: The process of gradual destruction.
- Deterioration: The process of becoming progressively worse.
- Corrosion: Similar to chemical erosion, often used for metals.
Related Phrases
- Rate of erosion: The speed at which erosion occurs.
- Scientists measured the rate of erosion on the cliff face.
- Erosion control: Methods used to prevent or reduce erosion.
- The construction project included plans for erosion control.
Idioms
- "The erosion of time": A poetic phrase describing how time slowly wears things down or causes them to be forgotten.
- The ancient ruins have succumbed to the erosion of time.
Noun
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erosion by chemical action
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a gradual decline of something
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after the accounting scandal there was an erosion of confidence in the auditors
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condition in which the earth's surface is worn away by the action of water and wind
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(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
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