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 of annihilation

• destruction
• devastation
• extinction
• havoc
• demolition
• loss
• extermination

Examples of annihilation in a Sentence

idealists who seek the annihilation of all forms of prejudice

Recent Examples on the Web

If being an intellectual means, in part, carrying forward the legacy of those who died in pursuit of our vocation, what obligations does their systematic annihilation impose on us now? —Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026

As the Church withdraws its sanction, the exorcists must confront the demonic force alone, pushing their faith to its limits as the entity threatens global annihilation. —Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 5 Feb. 2026

The cross-section, remember, determines both production and annihilation efficiencies at earlier times. —Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026

Cosmic ray detectors hunt rare antideuterons as dark matter annihilation signatures—but galactic cosmic rays smashing into interstellar gas also produce them, creating background noise. —Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026

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