misuse of "decimated"

[EagleJCS]

Just to be pedantic, they are homonyms - not synonyms
Alan

To be really nit-picky, they're homophones - they sound the same but are spelled differently.

Homonyms are words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently and mean different things. e.g. "minute": 1) noun, 1/60 of an hour; 2) adjective, a relatively small quantity.* You have to infer the meaning from the context. Easy to do when the words are spoken, but more difficult when they're written. Small wonder people have such difficulty learning the English language!

*definitions are mine, not taken from a dictionary.