noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/diːˌpɒ.pjəˈleɪ.ʃən/
US:/diˌpɑ.pjəˈleɪ.ʃən/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:D IH0 P AA2 P Y AH0 L EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:D IY2 P AA0 P Y AH0 L EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act of depopulating or condition of being depopulated; the destruction or expulsion of inhabitants.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
the condition of having reduced numbers of inhabitants (or no inhabitants at all)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: environmental condition
History
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English depopulacion (also spelled depopulacyoun, depopolacion), borrowed from Latin dēpopulātiō. By surface analysis, depopulate + -ion.
Across languages
Translations
18 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
обезлюдяване
(obezljudjavane)
— act or condition of depopulating
Catalan:
despoblament
— act or condition of depopulating
Catalan:
despoblació
— act or condition of depopulating
Danish:
affolkning
— act or condition of depopulating
Dutch:
ontvolking
— act or condition of depopulating
Finnish:
väestökato
— act or condition of depopulating
French:
dépeuplement
— act or condition of depopulating
German:
Entvölkerung
— act or condition of depopulating
Irish:
bánú
— act or condition of depopulating
Irish:
dídhaonrú
— act or condition of depopulating
Norman:
dêpeupliéthie
— act or condition of depopulating
Polish:
wyludnienie
— act or condition of depopulating
Polish:
depopulacja
— act or condition of depopulating
Russian:
обезлю́дение
(obezljúdenije)
— act or condition of depopulating
Russian:
депопуля́ция
(depopuljácija)
— act or condition of depopulating
Scottish Gaelic:
fàsachadh
— act or condition of depopulating
Swedish:
avfolkning
— act or condition of depopulating
Welsh:
diboblogaeth
— act or condition of depopulating
