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

The explosion obliterated a coral island in Bikini Atoll, sucking millions of tons of coral dust into the sky.

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They were utterly obliterated by a Blue Jays squad that seemed completely oblivious to the idea that they were here to serve as spectators to the Dodgers’ inevitable coronation.

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A local preservation group, supported by a descendant of the 19th century artist, say they fear the site will be "obliterated" by the plans, which include building an archive centre in the hall's kitchen garden.

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Vance also warned that "if Hamas does not co-operate, it will be obliterated", while refusing to give a deadline for when the Palestinian group must disarm - a part of US proposals yet to be agreed.

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Back in Ukraine, the BBC spoke on Friday to a couple repairing the small store they own in a suburb of Kyiv, after it was obliterated by Russian missiles last month.

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