oblivion
Americannoun
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the state of being completely forgotten or unknown.
a former movie star now in oblivion.
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the state of forgetting or of being oblivious.
the oblivion of sleep.
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the act or process of dying out; complete annihilation or extinction.
If we don't preserve their habitat, the entire species will pass into oblivion.
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Archaic. official disregard or overlooking of offenses; pardon; amnesty.
noun
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the condition of being forgotten or disregarded
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the state of being mentally withdrawn or blank
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law an intentional overlooking, esp of political offences; amnesty; pardon
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of oblivion
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin oblīviōn-, stem of oblīviō “a forgetting,” equivalent to oblīv(īscī) “to forget” + -iō -ion; see ob-
Explanation
Oblivion is the state of being forgotten. Your uncle dreamed of being a rock star, but after recording one hit song, he faded into oblivion. Oblivion can also mean "total forgetfulness" — like what patients with dementia or new parents feel. If you find yourself putting the crackers in the fridge and milk in the cupboards, or forgetting your own phone number, you might be experiencing oblivion. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Vocabulary lists containing oblivion
Grade 9, List 1
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Fahrenheit 451
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100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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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.
Slim Pickens yee-hawed riding “Dr. Strangelove’s” atomic bomb to oblivion; Cruise brandishes his grandpappy’s original shovel that struck crude in 1917 and whoops, “Oil is the mother’s milk of Earth!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
He senses the world changing in real time and doesn’t want to get left behind, lest his reporting and notoriety succumb to oblivion.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Interim Welsh Labour leader Ken Skates praised the prime minister and said he had brought his party "back from oblivion".
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The author rescues her from near-historical oblivion, portraying a woman of intense piety, “even more devout than her mother-in-law.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Lazlo knew the name already: goddess of oblivion, mistress of forgetting.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
