annihilation

noun

an·​ni·​hi·​la·​tion ə-ˌnī-ə-ˈlā-shən 

plural annihilations

1

: the state or fact of being completely destroyed or obliterated : the act of annihilating something or the state of being annihilated

The late 1940s and '50s were so pervaded by a general fear of nuclear annihilation that the era was known as the Age of Anxiety.

—Charles Krauthammer

For a literary culture that fears it is on the brink of total annihilation, we are awfully cavalier about the Great Male Novelists of the last century.

—Katie Roiphe

… few experts believe that either regime would risk annihilation by actually launching a nuke in anger.

—Michael Elliott

The Cretaceous Extinction, whatever its cause, was one of the two most awesome annihilations of life in the history of the world.

—John McPhee

2

physics : the combination of a particle and its antiparticle (such as an electron and a positron) that results in the subsequent total conversion of the particles into energy

Both the creation and annihilation of antimatter have been observed in nuclear accelerators (atom-smashers).

—Harding E. Smith

The annihilation reactions are the most efficient sources of energy known, for in them the entire mass of both particles is converted into pure energy.

—George Greenstein

Synonyms

• decimation
• demolishment
• demolition
• desolation
• destruction
• devastation
• extermination
• extinction
• havoc
• loss
• mincemeat
• obliteration
• ruin
• ruination
• wastage
• wreckage

Examples of annihilation in a Sentence

idealists who seek the annihilation of all forms of prejudice

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet Daniela sees not annihilation in her mother’s last days but something profoundly human—beyond memory as people typically understand it. —Marion Renault, The Atlantic, 13 May 2025

Since President Trump took office in January, Head Start centers have been unnerved by an escalating series of threats, including, most recently, total annihilation. —Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025

Just watching characters block falling slabs of concrete or hurtling cars, whisking New Yorkers out of the way to safety in the nick of time, is refreshing after so many movies with actors stuck in front of greenscreens battling annihilation beams from space. —David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Apr. 2025

In this week’s The Last of Us, Ellie reaches the sixth stage of grief: annihilation. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 27 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1526, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing annihilation

• self-annihilation

Rhymes for annihilation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration