omnicide

noun

om·​ni·​cide ˈäm-ni-ˌsīd How to pronounce omnicide (audio)
plural omnicides
: the destruction of all life or all human life (as by nuclear war)
As our understanding grows, so does the horror. What we face now is not merely slaughter or genocide, but "omnicide," the obliteration of all humans and all living species.Penney Kome and Patrick Crean
Would any-one be inclined to argue that omnicide is in the national interest, is patriotic or is economically profitable? Surely, these questions answer themselves.John Somerville
omnicidal adjective
Yet the continuation of the human species can no longer be taken for granted. It has been endangered since the onset of the omnicidal weapons first demonstrated in 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The destruction of these cities heralded a new age, the nuclear age, the chief characteristic of which is that for the first time it has become possible for man to destroy his own species in a single action. Joseph Rotblat

Word History

Etymology

omni- + -cide

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of omnicide was in 1959

Dictionary Entries Near omnicide

Cite this Entry

“Omnicide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omnicide. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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