annihilate

[ uh-nahy-uh-leyt ]

/ əˈnaɪ əˌleɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR annihilate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), an·ni·hi·lat·ed, an·ni·hi·lat·ing.

to reduce to utter ruin or nonexistence; destroy utterly: The heavy bombing almost annihilated the city.

to destroy the collective existence or main body of; wipe out: to annihilate an army.

to annul; make void: to annihilate a law.

to cancel the effect of; nullify.

to defeat completely; vanquish: Our basketball team annihilated the visiting team.

Nearby words

Origin of annihilate

1350–1400; Middle English adnichilat(e) destroyed < Late Latin annihilātus brought to nothing, annihilated (past participle of annihilāre) (Latin an- an-² + nihil nothing + -ātus -ate¹)

SYNONYMS FOR annihilate

1 ravage, devastate, desolate.

1, 2 smash, obliterate, demolish.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR annihilate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsan·ni·hi·la·tive

[uh-nahy-uh-ley-tiv, ‐uh-luh‐] /əˈnaɪ əˌleɪ tɪv, ‐ə lə‐/, an·ni·hi·la·to·ry

[uh-nahy-uh-luh-tawr-ee, ‐tohr-ee] /əˈnaɪ ə ləˌtɔr i, ‐ˌtoʊr i/, adjectiveun·an·ni·hi·lat·ed, adjectiveun·an·ni·hi·la·tive, adjectiveun·an·ni·hi·la·to·ry, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for annihilate

The J in its name actually stands for Jian—annihilate, eliminate.
Beijing's New Stealth Jet: Made in China|Brendon Hong|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Thirty minutes alone with a man is enough for him to annihilate you,” she remarks, knowingly.
Meet The Former Call Girl Saving Hookers For Jesus|Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Finally there was the atomic bomb (and the Cold War it created): machine threatened to annihilate all of mankind.
How ‘Her’ Gets the Future Right|Andrew Romano|December 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The consequences of the repeated failed attempts to annihilate Israel should and will be reflected in the final status.
Excitement Over Land Swaps Is Misplaced|Dani Dayan|May 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

And there is no doubt that a people must defend itself against those who wish to harm it, destroy it, or annihilate it.
Iran as Haman: Jeffrey Goldberg’s Dangerous Analogy|Shaul Magid|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Red requires to annihilate one sided irritation the two primary colors, yellow and blue.
The Progress of the Marbling Art|Josef Halfer
I would require the science of Earth for the benefit of this world, rather than use the science of this world to annihilate that!
The Fifth-Dimension Tube|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
Would you have me indeed, annihilate the memory of the bond between us?
The Caxtons, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The introduction of Christianity did not annihilate the older cults.
The Science of Fairy Tales|Edwin Sidney Hartland
To pretend that God can be offended with the actions of men, is to annihilate all the ideas that are given to us of this being.
Superstition In All Ages (1732)|Jean Meslier

British Dictionary definitions for annihilate

annihilate

/ (əˈnaɪəˌleɪt) /

verb

(tr) to destroy completely; extinguish

(tr) informal to defeat totally, as in debate or argument

(intr) physics to undergo annihilation

Derived Formsannihilable (əˈnaɪələbəl), adjectiveannihilative, adjectiveannihilator, noun

Word Origin for annihilate

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for annihilate

annihilate

1520s, from an obsolete adjective meaning "reduced to nothing" (late 14c.), originally the past participle of a verb, anihil, from Old French annichiler (14c.), from Late Latin annihilare "to reduce to nothing," from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + nihil "nothing" (see nil). Related: Annihilated; annihilating.