obliterate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to remove or destroy all traces of; do away with; destroy completely.
-
to blot out or render undecipherable (writing, marks, etc.); efface.
- Synonyms:
- expunge
verb
Related Words
See cancel.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obliterate
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin oblitterātus “effaced,” past participle of oblitterāre “to efface, cause to be forgotten,” equivalent to ob- ob- + litter(a) letter 1 + -āre, infinitive verb suffix
Explanation
When you see obliterate, think of evil alien invaders that zap a planet with a destructive ray. In one blast, the planet and all of the people on it are vaporized. The planet is truly obliterated, or completely wiped out. A long time ago, obliterate had to do with blotting out words on a page. This is why you see the word literate in there. Today it means to erase or destroy completely so that there is nothing left. While you can still obliterate text, you can also obliterate hope, an opponent, or all traces of your presence. Whatever you obliterate is completely gone.
Vocabulary lists containing obliterate
List 3
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The Lightning Thief
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This Week in Words: September 17 - 24, 2017
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His biggest laugh is obtained during his harem courtship of Actress Edith Meiser, with the line: And does the incense Obliterate the sin sense?
From Time Magazine Archive
Obliterate, a game in which a submarine and a battleship match tactics at sea, had already been available for many months.
From Time Magazine Archive
Obliterate, ob-lit′ėr-āt, v.t. to blot out, so as not to be readable: to wear out: to destroy: to reduce to a very low state.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various
Go therefore thou, Lead on, and if a word have fallen amiss,430 We will hereafter mend it, and may heaven Obliterate in thine heart its whole effect!
From The Iliad of Homer Translated into English Blank Verse by William Cowper by Cowper, William
Obliterate your tracks; John Sneakem will not then catch on so quick.
From Fifty Years a Hunter and Trapper Autobiography, experiences and observations of Eldred Nathaniel Woodcock during his fifty years of hunting and trapping. by Woodcock, Eldred Nathaniel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
