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Atrophied

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(pronounced at-ruh-feed)  adjective

Definition

from the noun and verb atrophy.

Atrophy (pronounced at-ruh-fee) as noun = 1. a wasting away or decrease in size of a body tissue or organ because of injury, lack of nutrition, etc.   2. a steady decline in effectiveness or strength because of neglect; gradual loss of vitality or force resulting from cessation of use or practice; degeneration; desiccation.

Main Example

• According to the U.N., the world's gravest humanitarian crisis today is in Somalia where a civil war and crop failures have created widespread starvation. Disturbing video recently broadcast on PBS shows youngsters reduced to such a shriveled state that they are no more than breathing skeletons, their bodies so atrophied that they have not the energy to even attempt to brush away the flies sitting on their faces.

Workplace Examples

• What surprises me is how little has been accomplished by Rob's area. After all, it is not some dwindling, atrophied little department. They have several seasoned managers, and have even added to their resources these last couple of years.
• You are such an extraordinary analyst; I just hope that your new assignment writing PR pieces doesn't cause your analytical and decision making skills to become atrophied from lack of use.

Other Examples

• during a meeting, somebody saying jokingly: "Come on Toni, if we provide templates for everything and leave no room for improvising, it'll be an awful work environment. Employees' creative abilities, and even their very brains, will just atrophy."
• an employee commenting: "The company needs new leadership. The present management is pretty much atrophied and has run out of ideas."
• amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, which causes progressive atrophy of body muscle and eventual death; sociologists saying that nonstop viewing of inane programs on television leads to the atrophying of teenagers' intellect and imagination
• a few American lawmakers who are critical of the USA Patriot Act saying that its provisions will lead to the atrophying of some of the basic freedoms enshrined in the Constitution

© 2008 V.J. Singal

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