Environmental Degradation Terminology

noun the act or process of degrading; the state of being degraded

• The degradation of the environment is a major concern for scientists and policymakers.
• I can't believe the degradation of this park since they stopped maintaining it.
• The degradation of my phone's battery life is seriously annoying.
• The degradation of trust between them has reached a point of no return.

adjective not able to be reclaimed or recovered

• The damage to the ancient artifact was deemed irreclaimable by the experts.
• Once the milk has gone sour, it's irreclaimable.
• Dude, your phone is irreclaimable after that drop!
• His reputation was irreclaimable after the scandal.

noun destruction or ruin

verb to destroy or ruin completely

• The invading army proceeded to lay waste to the entire city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.
• The vandals came and just laid waste to the park, it's a total mess now.
• I can't believe you just laid waste to that pizza, you must have been really hungry.
• Her harsh words seemed to lay waste to his confidence, leaving him feeling defeated.

noun a barren or desolate area of land with little vegetation

adjective related to a wasteland