annihilate

[ uh-nahy-uh-leyt ]

verb (used with object)

, an·ni·hi·lat·ed, an·ni·hi·lat·ing.

1. to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence; destroy utterly:

   The heavy bombing almost annihilated the city.

   Synonyms: demolish, obliterate, smash, desolate, devastate, ravage

2. to destroy the collective existence or main body of; wipe out:

   to annihilate an army.

   Synonyms: demolish, obliterate, smash

3. to annul; make void:

   to annihilate a law.

4. to cancel the effect of; nullify.
5. to defeat completely; vanquish:

   Our basketball team annihilated the visiting team.

annihilate

/ əˈnaɪələbəl; əˈnaɪəˌleɪt /

verb

1. tr to destroy completely; extinguish
2. informal.
   tr to defeat totally, as in debate or argument
3. intr physics to undergo annihilation

Derived Forms

• annihilable, adjective
• anˈnihilative, adjective
• anˈnihiˌlator, noun

Other Words From

• an·ni·hi·la·tive [uh, -, nahy, -, uh, -ley-tiv, ‑, uh, -l, uh, ‑], an·ni·hi·la·to·ry [uh, -, nahy, -, uh, -l, uh, -tawr-ee, ‑-tohr-ee], adjective
• unan·nihi·lated adjective
• unan·nihi·lative adjective
• unan·nihi·la·tory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of annihilate¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English adnichilat(e) “destroyed,” from Late Latin annihilātus “brought to nothing,” past participle of annihilāre “to bring to nothing,” from Latin an- an- ² + nihil “nothing” + -āre, infinitive suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of annihilate¹

C16: from Late Latin annihilāre to bring to nothing, from Latin nihil nothing

Example Sentences

“Looting art and other assets from Jewish families was an essential part of Hitler’s plan to annihilate the Jewish people, and eradicate all traces of Jewish life and culture. Spain’s insistence on keeping the Cassirers’ Pissarro perpetuates the crimes of the Nazi regime, and demeans the memory of six million Jewish souls,” Schaecter said.

From Los Angeles Times

Echoing white nationalist rhetoric about immigrants, it has claimed that a President Harris would “import the third world,” depicted in one ad as a group of Black men juxtaposed with the idyllic suburb that they would presumably annihilate.

From Salon

On Thursday, in response to protests against Israel on the occasion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, Harris put out a statement saying, “I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation.”

From Slate

Instead of competing as a limited series, “Shōgun” now will annihilate any and all comers in the drama categories.

From Los Angeles Times

Echoing the outrage expressed by Israelis across the political spectrum, and abandoning any semblance of impartiality, the front page denounced “the intolerable gall” of the chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, for what it described as putting Israel alongside the leaders of Hamas who “seek to annihilate it.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• crush
• decimate
• demolish
• eradicate
• exterminate
• extinguish
• finish off
• liquidate
• negate
• obliterate
• quell
• raze
• wipe out