obliterated

[uh-blit-uh-rey-tid]

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.

verb

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

Other Word Forms

• half-obliterated adjective
• unobliterated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of obliterated¹

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

Example Sentences

In June, a UN independent international commission of inquiry said Israel had "obliterated Gaza's education system".

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Loyalty is rewarded, dissent is punished and the line between reporter and political operative is obliterated.

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Mansions with picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean were obliterated into charred slabs of stucco, broken concrete and dust.

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After almost two years of war, triggered by the Hamas attacks of October 2023, much of the territory has been obliterated.

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“We’ve heard the expression eyes are the windows to the soul,” he said, “and if your eyes are destroyed, there is that fear of being obliterated.”

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