oblivion

American  

[uh-bliv-ee-uhn] / əˈblɪv i ən /

noun

1. the state of being completely forgotten or unknown.

   a former movie star now in oblivion.

2. the state of forgetting or of being oblivious.

   the oblivion of sleep.

3. 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.

4. Archaic. official disregard or overlooking of offenses; pardon; amnesty.

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oblivion British  

/ əˈblɪvɪən /

noun

1. the condition of being forgotten or disregarded

2. the state of being mentally withdrawn or blank

3. law an intentional overlooking, esp of political offences; amnesty; pardon

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Other Word Forms

• self-oblivion noun

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; ob-

Example Sentences

We also saved species that were headed for oblivion.

From The Wall Street Journal

But we also saved species that were headed for oblivion, including the wild turkey, the wood duck, the bald eagle and—that bane of airports and golf courses everywhere—the Canada goose.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Cinema is more resistant to oblivion, and certainly longer-living than the short-lived attention span that the internet offers, while your urgency reaches places our films cannot,” Wenders said.

From Salon

“I just periodically send an email into oblivion, basically,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

Ultimately they deemed that, under Frank, Spurs were more likely to career into oblivion than stop the rot.

From BBC

Related Words

• darkness
• extinction
• limbo