annihilate

[uh-nahy-uh-leyt]

verb (used with object)

annihilated, annihilating 

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

Other Word Forms

• annihilative adjective
• annihilatory adjective
• unannihilated adjective
• unannihilative adjective
• unannihilatory adjective
• annihilable adjective
• annihilator noun

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

The marauders beat and slashed to death all the males in a neighboring colony and subjugated the breeding females, essentially annihilating an entire community.

From Los Angeles Times

I am covering this game for Radio 5 Live and part of me is thinking that Liverpool are going to click soon and just absolutely annihilate someone.

From BBC

Defence Minister Israel Katz at the same time warned Hamas: "Release the hostages and put down your weapons - or Gaza will be destroyed and you will be annihilated."

From BBC

Unlike all those other Aronofsky characters, who must annihilate themselves in search of absolution or perfection, Hank will probably be okay.

From Salon

In their mutually reinforcing preparations to annihilate one another, erase the past and foreclose the possibility of future generations, he concluded, “the superpowers have dutifully embraced this legacy…Adolf Hitler lives on.”

From Salon

Related Words

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