obliterated

American  

[uh-blit-uh-rey-tid] / əˈblɪt əˌreɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. completely destroyed or done away with, so that little or no trace remains.

   I stood amid the rubble of obliterated buildings, where not even a feral cat was to be seen.

   Removing the brain tumor left him with an obliterated memory of the last 15 years.

2. blotted out completely so that it cannot be read or discerned.

   He was arrested for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of obliterate.

Other Word Forms

• half-obliterated
  adjective
• unobliterated
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of obliterated

First recorded in 1605–15; obliterate ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; obliterate ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Explanation

Something that's obliterated is gone. If your dreams of becoming a trapeze artist are completely obliterated after your first two difficult weeks at circus school, maybe you can switch to clowning. Obliterated comes from the Latin phrase literas scribere, meaning strike or cross out letters. When something is obliterated, it disappears or is so damaged, you can barely recognize it. It might be literally wiped out, like a house obliterated by fire, or figuratively destroyed, like your obliterated hopes of marrying your favorite movie star someday.

Example Sentences

Even the White House still has a statement on its website dated 25 June 2025 under the headline 'Iran's Nuclear Facilities Have Been Obliterated – and Suggestions Otherwise are Fake News.'

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Obliterated the SEC record for receiving touchdowns with 43 - so far.

From Washington Times • Jan. 4, 2021

Obliterated the SEC record for receiving touchdowns with 43 — so far.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 3, 2021

Obliterated were two sabre scars, marks of duels.

From Time Magazine Archive

The word "Postes" has no outline round each letter in F. Obliterated specimens often F. Brazil.—The early issues, with numerals in centre of filigree work often imitated.

From Peeps at Postage Stamps by Johnson, Stanley Currie