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to annihilate

to annihilate

63 7.5
To destroy completely, often killing many people
  • verb
  • /əˈnaɪəˌleɪt/
  • NSFW
translation icon : aniquilar
  • The invading army vowed to annihilate the opposing forces, leaving no survivors.
  • completely annihilated
  • annihilate objects
  • annihilate each other

No, but it must at the very least annihilate the shared eigenfunction.

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Examples

  • Ninety percent of the people were annihilated by war, murder, and disease.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Xerxes ordered the Persian fleet to sea that night so they would be in position to annihilate the Greeks as they tried to escape at dawn.

  • Any decent lawyer will annihilate him on the stand.

  • "But to have held out for hundreds of years and then successfully annihilate them?"

    Fiction book (1998)
  • What do we we welcome stiff competition when it comes to nuclear weapons that could annihilate millions of Americans.

  • Get out there and annihilate those stinkweeds!

  • In three more hours, we would have met and annihilated his last operational division.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • They sent every single air platform that we had available, and he annihilated anything that was moving within that area.

  • Besieged and facing the German ultimatum to surrender or be annihilated, Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe replied, "Nuts."

    Fiction book (1990)
  • A sudden volcanic eruption can annihilate entire towns in a matter of minutes.

Synonyms

to kill
vsto annihilate
682 2.8

Stop something from working or continuing

in this sense focuses more on ending life on a large scale
to eliminate
vsto annihilate
  • NSFW
502 3.4

Remove or kill something completely so it is gone

focuses more on killing many people rather than general removal
to devastate
vsto annihilate
221 4.9

To destroy something greatly or make people feel deeply shocked and sad

focuses more on mass killing and total removal rather than emotional ruin
to wipe out
vsto annihilate
189 4.2

Destroy something so nothing is left

adds the idea of killing very large numbers as central
to eradicate
vsto annihilate
85 6.6

Remove something harmful completely, for example a disease or pest

adds emphasis on killing very large numbers rather than removing harm
to obliterate
vsto annihilate
71 7.5

To destroy something completely so nothing remains

focuses more on killing many or total destruction rather than only erasure
to exterminate
vsto annihilate
  • NSFW
60 6.9

To destroy something completely, often on purpose

is similar but highlights mass killing specifically
to decimate
vsto annihilate
58 7.5

To destroy a large part of a group or population

is stronger, meaning complete destruction rather than only a large part
to kill off
vsto annihilate
44 4.8

Destroy almost all members of a group, like a type of animal or product

is broader, stressing complete destruction and mass killing
to vaporize
vsto annihilate
  • NSFW
33 7.7

To destroy something completely as if by a powerful weapon

is broader, stressing large numbers killed rather than sudden force
to nuke
vsto annihilate
  • Informal
32 7.4

To destroy something completely, often using a nuclear bomb

covers total killing broadly, not only destruction by explosive weapons
to pulverize
vsto annihilate
  • US
15 7.6

To destroy something completely so nothing is left

puts more weight on mass killing rather than general ruin
to extinguish
vsto annihilate
  • Offensive
13 7.7

Kill an entire group of people or animals so none are left

is similar but stresses total annihilation and mass killing more
to snuff out
vsto annihilate
9 7.7

Put an end to something or to someone's life

is used especially for killing large numbers and total destruction
to liquidate
vsto annihilate
  • Offensive
9 9.3

To kill someone who is a threat

is broader, stressing large-scale killing rather than targeted removal
to carry off
vsto annihilate
4 8.2

To kill many people or animals

is more about deliberate total destruction than deaths from events
to sweep away
vsto annihilate
1 3.9

To destroy or carry something away completely, for example by water

is more about killing very large numbers rather than clearing an area
to atomize
vsto annihilate
1 9.2

To destroy a place with very powerful weapons like bombs

stresses large-scale death or total removal rather than physical fragmenting
to extirpate
vsto annihilate
  • Formal
1 9.9

To destroy something completely, including its root

leans more toward killing many individuals rather than removing causes

Antonyms

1.0

To make something new that does not exist yet

1.0

To make something by joining parts or materials

How Destructive

to obliterate
71 7.5
to annihilate
  • NSFW
63 7.5
to devastate
221 4.9
to destroy
1.0
to damage
885 1.4
to harm
738 1.0

Surface Forms

annihilate infinitive
annihilated past participle
annihilating present participle
annihilates third person singular

Etymology

The word annihilate comes from Latin parts ad- 'to' and nihil 'nothing', so it originally meant 'to make into nothing'. That's why to annihilate something is to destroy it completely.