The act of rubbing together; friction; the act of wearing by friction, or by rubbing substances together; abrasion. [1913 Webster]
"Effected by attrition of the inward stomach." [1913 Webster]
The state of being worn. Johnson. [1913 Webster]
Grief for sin arising only from fear of punishment or feelings of shame. See Contrition. Wallis. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

attrition, n.
1 a the act or process of gradually wearing out, esp. by friction. b abrasion.
2 Theol. sorrow for sin, falling short of contrition.

Idiom

war of attrition a war in which one side wins by gradually wearing the other down with repeated attacks etc.

Derivative

attritional adj.

Etymology

ME f. LL attritio f. atterere attrit- rub

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THESAURUS

attrition

abatement, ablation, abrasion, abrasive, absorption, apologies, assimilation, atomization, attenuation, ayenbite of inwit, beating, bitterness, blunting, brecciation, buffing, burning up, burnishing, chafe, chafing, comminution, consumption, contriteness, contrition, corrosion, crumbling, crushing, curtailment, cut, cutting, damping, deadening, debilitation, decrease, decrement, deliquescence, depletion, depreciation, derogation, detraction, detrition, devitalization, digestion, dilution, diminution, dip, disintegration, disparagement, dissipation, dissolution, drain, dressing, dulling, eating up, effemination, enervation, enfeeblement, erasure, erosion, evisceration, exhaustion, expending, expenditure, extenuation, extraction, fatigue, filing, finishing, fragmentation, fretting, galling, granulation, granulization, grating, grazing, grief, grinding, impairment, impoverishment, inanition, ingestion, languishment, lessening, levigation, limation, loss, mashing, mitigation, penance, penitently, polishing, pounding, powdering, rasping, reduction, regret, regretfulness, regrets, regretting, relaxation, remission, remorse, remorse of conscience, remorsefulness, repentance, repining, retraction, retrenchment, rubbing away, rue, ruth, sandblasting, sanding, scouring, scrape, scraping, scratch, scratching, scrub, scrubbing, scuff, shame, shamefacedness, shamefastness, shamefulness, shining, shortening, shredding, shrinkage, slackening, smashing, smoothing, softening, sorriness, sorrow, spending, squandering, thinning, trituration, truncation, using up, wastage, waste, wastefulness, wasting away, weakening, wear, wear and tear, wearing away, wearing down, wistfulness

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ROGET THESAURUS

attrition

Friction

N friction, attrition, rubbing, abrasion, scraping, confrication, detrition, contrition, affriction, abrasion, arrosion, limature, frication, rub, elbow grease, rosin, massage, roughness, rolling friction, sliding friction, starting friction, anatriptic, attrite.

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