Attrition

n.	1.	The act of rubbing together; friction; the act of wearing by friction, or by rubbing substances together; abrasion. Effected by attrition of the inward stomach. - Arbuthnot.
	2.	The state of being worn.
	3.	(Theol.) Grief for sin arising only from fear of punishment or feelings of shame. See Contrition.

Noun	1.	attrition - erosion by friction Synonyms: corrasion, detrition, abrasion
	2.	attrition - the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice Synonyms: detrition, grinding, abrasion
	3.	attrition - sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation Synonyms: contriteness, contrition
	4.	attrition - a wearing down to weaken or destroy; "a war of attrition"
	5.	attrition - the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction

abatement, ablation, abrasion, abrasive, absorption, apologies, assimilation, atomization, attenuation, ayenbite of inwit, beating, bitterness, blunting, brecciation, buffing, burning up, burnishing, chafe, chafing, comminution, consumption, contriteness, contrition, corrosion, crumbling, crushing, curtailment, cut, cutting, damping, deadening, debilitation, decrease, decrement, deliquescence, depletion, depreciation, derogation, detraction, detrition, devitalization, digestion, dilution, diminution, dip, disintegration, disparagement, dissipation, dissolution, drain, dressing, dulling, eating up, effemination, enervation, enfeeblement, erasure, erosion, evisceration, exhaustion, expending, expenditure, extenuation, extraction, fatigue, filing, finishing, fragmentation, fretting, galling, granulation, granulization, grating, grazing, grief, grinding, impairment, impoverishment, inanition, ingestion, languishment, lessening, levigation, limation, loss, mashing, mitigation, penance, penitently, polishing, pounding, powdering, rasping, reduction, regret, regretfulness, regrets, regretting, relaxation, remission, remorse, remorse of conscience, remorsefulness, repentance, repining, retraction, retrenchment, rubbing away, rue, ruth, sandblasting, sanding, scouring, scrape, scraping, scratch, scratching, scrub, scrubbing, scuff, shame, shamefacedness, shamefastness, shamefulness, shining, shortening, shredding, shrinkage, slackening, smashing, smoothing, softening, sorriness, sorrow, spending, squandering, thinning, trituration, truncation, using up, wastage, waste, wastefulness, wasting away, weakening, wear, wear and tear, wearing away, wearing down, wistfulness