in mere decades

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "in mere decades" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to emphasize the short time frame of decades in relation to a larger context or comparison. Example: "The technology has advanced significantly in mere decades, transforming the way we communicate."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

6 human-written examples

Can natural sporting selection begin its process in mere decades?

The New Yorker

Multiple facilities designed to last thousands of years have already failed in mere decades.

The Guardian - Opinion

This hierarchy, established over centuries, has been short-circuited in mere decades by the internet, in the form of article comments, government e-petitions, and social media sites such as Twitter.

The Guardian - Opinion

This city-state in the United Arab Emirates has evolved from a small town, supported by pearl diving and trade, to a shining uber-metropolis filled with towers and manmade landscapes in mere decades.

BBC

For thirty years he's labored to prove that if Earth warms just a couple degrees, as many scientists forecast, the huge glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica could substantially melt in mere decades.

Huffington Post

Even worse, as frightening as it is, if we fail to make fundamental changes in our energy, manufacturing, transportation, forestry, agricultural, and other systems along with our consumption patterns with utmost urgency, in mere decades irreversible climate shifts will occur that undermine the very pillars of human civilization.

Huffington Post

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

Convincing people of the importance of protecting animals can be difficult in a country where hundreds of millions lived in poverty mere decades ago.

Los Angeles Times

Yet the Internet reached more than half of Americans in a mere decade; Facebook built a community of 300 million users in just 5 years.

Huffington Post

In March 2013, the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDCcalledled a press conference to report that these "nightmare bacteria," unseen in the country before 2001, had increased their prevalence fourfold in a mere decade.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control

— KEITH BRADSHER SHANGHAI One of the remarkable things about living in Shanghai is being able to witness this city's race to complete a century's worth of building in a mere decade or two.

The New York Times - Travel

People experienced and trained in risk, intelligence, compliance and law are joining boardrooms and management below and in a mere decade, a huge industry of risk control has developed to support these people in their efforts to prevent and identify corruption and money laundering in the industry.

Huffington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "in mere decades" to underscore the relative brevity of a period when compared to longer spans like centuries or millennia, highlighting the speed of change or development.

Common error

Avoid using "in mere decades" when the context requires highlighting a significantly longer duration. The phrase is effective only when emphasizing the contrast between decades and much larger time scales.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "in mere decades" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying a verb or clause to indicate the time frame within which an action or change occurs. As confirmed by Ludwig AI, it emphasizes the relative shortness of this time period. For instance, '...the huge glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica could substantially melt in mere decades...'

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

67%

Science

33%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "in mere decades" is an adverbial phrase used to emphasize the relatively short span of time in which a change or event takes place. According to Ludwig AI, it's grammatically correct and effective for highlighting the rapid pace of developments when contrasted with longer periods. It's commonly found in News & Media and Science, where observations about time scales are frequent. To maximize its impact, use it when you want to stress the brevity of decades compared to centuries or millennia. For alternatives, consider "in a matter of decades" or "within decades".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in a matter of decades

This highlights the insignificance of the duration, emphasizing how swiftly the changes occur.

within decades

This alternative focuses on the containment of the timeframe, suggesting something happens before the end of the decades.

in just a few decades

This alternative phrase stresses the surprise at the speed of the changes in relation to decades.

in a few decades

This option broadens the time frame slightly, suggesting more than two but still a limited number of decades.

within a couple of decades

This is a more specific timeframe, suggesting roughly two decades.

over the course of decades

This alternative emphasizes the process and duration throughout the decades, rather than just the end point.

in the space of decades

Focuses on the period considered as an interval, a space of time.

over a handful of decades

This expresses the small number of decades implied.

across decades

This alternative emphasizes the progression of something happening across the specified time frame.

within a generation or two

This phrase provides a more human-centric timeframe, linking the changes to generational shifts.

FAQs

How can I use "in mere decades" in a sentence?

Use "in mere decades" to emphasize the relative shortness of a time span, especially when contrasting it with much longer periods. For example, "The landscape has transformed "in mere decades", a stark contrast to the centuries it took before."

What are some alternatives to "in mere decades"?

You can use alternatives such as "in a matter of decades", "within decades", or "in just a few decades" to convey a similar meaning, depending on the specific emphasis you want to achieve.

Which is correct, "in mere decades" or "in mere centuries"?

Both phrases are grammatically correct, but they denote different time scales. "In mere decades" emphasizes a shorter period compared to "in mere centuries", which refers to a much longer duration.

What's the difference between "in mere decades" and "in recent decades"?

"In mere decades" emphasizes the short duration of a period, often contrasting it with a longer one. "In recent decades", on the other hand, simply refers to the last few decades without necessarily implying brevity or contrast.