oblivion

noun obliv·i·on \ ə-ˈbli-vē-ən , ō- , ä- \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Examples: oblivion in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of oblivion

1 : the fact or condition of not remembering : a state marked by lack of awareness or consciousness

seeking the oblivion of sleep

drank herself into oblivion

2 : the condition or state of being forgotten or unknown

contentedly accepted his political oblivion

… took the Huskers from oblivion to glory — and their two national championships …
—D. S. Looney

See oblivion defined for English-language learners

See oblivion defined for kids

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Examples of oblivion in a Sentence

The technology is destined for oblivion.
The names of the people who lived here long ago have faded into oblivion.
His theories have faded into scientific oblivion.
Her work was rescued from oblivion when it was rediscovered in the early 1900s.
After being awake for three days straight, he longed for the oblivion of sleep.
She drank herself into oblivion.
The little village was bulldozed into oblivion to make way for the airport.

Recent Examples of oblivion from the Web

Progressive liberalism has become a political Bermuda Triangle, threatening to suck into oblivion anything that comes near it.

— daniel henninger, WSJ, "Starbucks’ Homeless Problem," 23 May 2018
Another song, named after the modernist minimalist painter Agnes Martin, has a refrain about total oblivion.

— john adamian, courant.com, "Punk Trio Screaming Females To Play Space Ballroom," 31 Mar. 2018
Freddy Adu springs to mind, and those players that were tipped for world domination spiral into oblivion and fizzle out into the wilderness.

— SI.com, "7 Young Players Who Will Go On to Be Legends of the Game," 15 Mar. 2018
The point was to seize a home-field advantage at Petco Park the way the Red Sox use the Green Monster to batter pitchers into oblivion.

— jeff sanders, sandiegouniontribune.com, "The search for Chase Headley's swing," 10 Mar. 2018
The legislature was required to do something with the report — another study would do — to avoid sending the plan into oblivion, to which previous reports were dispatched.

— stephen singer, courant.com, "General Assembly Balks At Economic Reform Initiative, Votes For More Study," 12 May 2018
Here, the land itself, with its harsh wells of volcanic rock and more than 200 anchialine ponds, intrudes upon the illusion, and the developers pride themselves on not blasting and flattening them to oblivion for the sake of curb appeal.

— soleil ho, GQ, "Kohanaiki: Where the Mega-Rich Hide Away on Hawai'i," 20 Apr. 2018
Photo: Getty Images Oh, the contentious cargo shorts: While some men cherish their practicality, others would like to see those bulky pockets filled with dynamite and blown into oblivion.

— jacob gallagher, WSJ, "11 Burning Questions About Men’s Shorts, Answered," 8 May 2018
But a baked-to-oblivion undereye isn't everyone's goal; some just want a radiant, healthy sheen.

— refinery29.com, "The New Generation Of Setting Powders Will Make You Glow, Not Dry You Out," 30 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'oblivion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Oblivion was derived via Middle English and Anglo-French from Latin oblivisci, which means "to forget." This form may have stemmed from combining ob- ("in the way") and levis ("smooth"). In the past, oblivion has been used in reference to the River Lethe, which according to Greek myth flowed through the Underworld and induced a state of forgetfulness in anyone who drank its water. Among those who have used the word this way is the poet John Milton, who wrote in Paradise Lost, "Farr off from these a slow and silent stream, Lethe the River of Oblivion roules Her watrie Labyrinth."

Origin and Etymology of oblivion

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin oblivion-, oblivio, from oblivisci to forget, perhaps from ob- in the way + levis smooth — more at ob-, levigate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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oblivion Synonyms

Synonyms

forgetfulness, nirvana, obliviousness;

Near Antonyms

memory, recall, recollection, remembrance;

alertness, awareness, cognizance, consciousness;

absentmindedness, absorption, abstraction, inattention, inattentiveness, preoccupation;

OBLIVION Defined for English Language Learners

oblivion

noun

Definition of oblivion for English Language Learners

: the state of something that is not remembered, used, or thought about any more
: the state of being unconscious or unaware : the state of not knowing what is going on around you
: the state of being destroyed