Choose the word which is most opposite in meaning to the word DECIMATED

Concept: An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning of a given word; to find it, first fix the exact meaning of the given word, then match it to the option that expresses the reverse idea.

Application: 'Decimated' means to kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of something. The direct opposite of destroying is creating or constructing, so the word meaning 'to construct or create' is the correct opposite of 'decimated'.

• Deflation refers to a decrease or reduction (in value, prices, or economic activity) - this is close to the idea of loss, not its opposite.

• Split means to divide or separate something into parts - it does not express creation.

• Simplification means making something less complex - it addresses complexity, not the destroy-versus-create axis.

Cross-check: Since none of the other options express construction or creation, the option meaning 'to construct or create' is confirmed as the correct opposite of 'decimated'.