attritional

English

Etymology

From attrition +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: ə-trĭ′-shə-nəl
  • (US) IPA(key): /əˈtɹɪ.ʃə.nəl/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪʃənəl

Adjective

attritional (comparative more attritional, superlative most attritional)

  1. Of or pertaining to attrition.
    a prolonged attritional battle
    attritional wear on a molar
    • 2009 February 1, Victoria Coren, “Ah, first love … lots of Steven Berkoff and no snogging”, in The Guardian:
      After months of attritional, heavy-handed flirting []
    • 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Unknown Species Codex entry:
      Sighted on Habitat 7, this unknown species has proven to be extremely dangerous. Their armor and equipment suggest a technologically advanced species capable of spaceflight, while their battle tactics indicate attritional warfare with a centralized command.
    • 2019 July 14, Stephan Shemilt, “England win Cricket World Cup: Ben Stokes stars in dramatic finale against New Zealand”, in BBC Sport[1], London:
      The drama of the finale was at odds with almost of all the match, which was an attritional affair on a tricky surface.
    • 2025 March 24, David Hytner, “Reece James bends it like Beckham to help England break down Latvia”, in The Guardian[2]:
      The first half was attritional, too congested for England’s liking. Tuchel has talked about bringing Premier League levels of intensity but that was in short supply.

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