obliteration

American  

[uh-blit-uh-ray-shuhn] / əˌblɪt əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of obliterating or the state of being obliterated.

2. Pathology, Surgery. the removal of a part as a result of disease or surgery.

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Other Word Forms

• obliterative
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of obliteration

1650–60; < Latin oblitterātiōn- (stem of oblitterātiō ), equivalent to oblitterāt ( us ) ( see obliterate) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Obliteration is the total destruction of something, so that nothing remains of it. Holding a lit match up to a balloon might cause its obliteration. The noun obliteration can describe a literal destruction, like an explosion or terrible fire, but it's also frequently used to mean a more figurative kind of eradication. You might, for example, hear people on the news talk about the obliteration of democracy in a country, or the obliteration of a politician's candidacy after a scandal is revealed. The word comes from the Latin obliterare, "cause to disappear, blot out, or erase."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

obliteration

Now she was grieving the Taliban’s obliteration of the Afghan legal system and her degree, which was effectively useless.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

The New York Knicks snapped their four-game losing streak with a record-breaking 120-66 obliteration of the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, the most lopsided victory in franchise history.

From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026

The director is well aware that the heyday of American musicals on both stage and screen occurred amid the Great Depression, World War II, the Holocaust and the brink of nuclear obliteration.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2024

The obliteration of Pope's middle and leg stumps on the second afternoon in Visakhapatnam was so violent, it should have come with an 18 rating.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2024

Reston was once a country town, and its rural past still fights obliteration, like a nail that won’t stay hammered down.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston