obliteration

American  

[uh-blit-uh-rey-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 ) ( 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

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

These newcomers, however, have no stake in the comradely game’s continuation, and are in fact dedicated to its obliteration: They want to take the game’s money away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

Speaking at The Hague where he attended a Nato summit on Wednesday, Trump said of the strikes: "It was very severe. It was obliteration."

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2025

The play, perhaps the greatest work on the malaise of middle age ever written, reveals that it’s possible to endure beyond even the obliteration of hope.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2023

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