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

The findings can’t be extrapolated to the real world — the scenarios were extreme, with the regimes often facing first strikes or annihilation — but revealed AIs’ skill at strategic reasoning, as well as a certain bloodthirstiness. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026

All of those on hand noted the striking parallel between Purim, which commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people from annihilation in ancient Persia, and the dismantling of government in what is now Iran. —Laurie Perez, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026

At the 2026 Biennale, his pavilion will center on the Sufi concept of Fana, the annihilation of self to achieve a collective awakening, and will posit quantum physics as the contemporary counterpart to fifteenth-century Hurufi mysticism. —News Desk, Artforum, 2 Mar. 2026

Which is not to say that Bernhard’s protagonist had it wrong but merely that mediocrity, in the realm of literature, is preferable to disregard or annihilation. —Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 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