obliterated
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of obliterated
First recorded in 1605–15; obliterate ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; obliterate ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
Explanation
Something that's obliterated is gone. If your dreams of becoming a trapeze artist are completely obliterated after your first two difficult weeks at circus school, maybe you can switch to clowning. Obliterated comes from the Latin phrase literas scribere, meaning strike or cross out letters. When something is obliterated, it disappears or is so damaged, you can barely recognize it. It might be literally wiped out, like a house obliterated by fire, or figuratively destroyed, like your obliterated hopes of marrying your favorite movie star someday.
Vocabulary lists containing obliterated
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even the White House still has a statement on its website dated 25 June 2025 under the headline 'Iran's Nuclear Facilities Have Been Obliterated – and Suggestions Otherwise are Fake News.'
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
Obliterated the SEC record for receiving touchdowns with 43 - so far.
From Washington Times • Jan. 4, 2021
Obliterated the SEC record for receiving touchdowns with 43 — so far.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 3, 2021
Obliterated were two sabre scars, marks of duels.
From Time Magazine Archive
Obliterated, the robot only briefly interfered with the proper functioning of the machine, but the damage had been done.
From The Short Life by Donovan, Francis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
