annihilation

[ uh-nahy-uh-ley-shuhn ]

noun

1. an act or instance of annihilating, or of completely destroying or defeating someone or something:

   the brutal annihilation of millions of people.

2. the state of being annihilated; total destruction; extinction:

   fear of nuclear annihilation.

3. Physics.
   1. Also called pair annihilation. the process in which a particle and antiparticle unite, annihilate each other, and produce one or more photons. Compare positronium.
   2. the conversion of rest mass into energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of annihilation¹

First recorded in 1630–40; from French or directly from Late Latin annihilātiōn- (stem of annihilātiō ); annihilate, -ion

Example Sentences

But in fellow Brit Steve McQueen’s muscular, sincere “Blitz,” his latest reckoning with the heartbeat of historical incident, life under the threat of annihilation pulsates a little more strongly than that beloved phrase would suggest.

From Los Angeles Times

Israel, he said, had no choice but to fight savage enemies who sought its annihilation.

From BBC

Warning Israeli-Americans that they are putting themselves in “danger” by not voting for him, Trump added that Israel will face “total annihilation” should Harris be elected president.

From Salon

On July 31, 1395, the Duke of Burgundy declared a war of annihilation on an "evil and disloyal" enemy and invader: a purple, acidic grape known as "Gamay."

From Salon

DeLillo’s prose often summons this kind of music, whether he’s writing about nuclear annihilation or the Zapruder film or mass media or Hitler’s sex life.

From New York Times

Related Words

• decimation
• demolition
• destruction
• elimination
• eradication
• extermination
• extinction
• liquidation