Characterized by or causing attrition; having a tendency to wear down or gradually diminish.
From Latin atterere + -ive suffix (meaning 'tending to' or 'of the nature of'). Similar in meaning to attritional but used more in academic or technical contexts.
Therapists sometimes warn about 'attritive stress'—the kind that doesn't hit you like a thunderbolt but slowly grinds you down like water wearing stone, which is why it's so dangerous to ignore.
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