self-annihilation
noun
self-an·ni·hi·la·tion
ˌself-ə-ˌnī-ə-ˈlā-shən 
: annihilation of the self (as in mystical contemplation of God)
Examples of self-annihilation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And he is compelled by a righteous fury to warn others of his son’s dark path to self-annihilation.
—
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025
This, at his best, is Crews’s subject: the relationship between art and self-annihilation—and whether the price of becoming the boy in the picture is too high to be paid by the one stumbling through the dark.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The broken family exults in its own debasement just like the protesters and activist judges who pursue self-annihilation as liberation.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 Mar. 2025
The clock, which is updated by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, is meant to be a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation.
—Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
The image becomes metabolized by the fungus in a process of self-annihilation and, like the memory itself, given a new kind of presence through its decay.
—Mariana Fernández, ARTnews.com, 18 Dec. 2024
The Doomsday Clock is a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which has maintained the clock since 1947.
—Doyle Rice, The Courier-Journal, 23 Jan. 2024
These stellar objects, called dark stars, might have been fueled not by nuclear fusion but by the self-annihilation of dark matter—the invisible stuff that is thought to make up about 85 percent of the matter in the universe.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 20 July 2023
With this set-up, audiences are primed to delight in the self-annihilation of the wealthy and privileged.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025
This, at his best, is Crews’s subject: the relationship between art and self-annihilation—and whether the price of becoming the boy in the picture is too high to be paid by the one stumbling through the dark.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The broken family exults in its own debasement just like the protesters and activist judges who pursue self-annihilation as liberation.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 Mar. 2025
The clock, which is updated by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, is meant to be a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation.
—Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
The image becomes metabolized by the fungus in a process of self-annihilation and, like the memory itself, given a new kind of presence through its decay.
—Mariana Fernández, ARTnews.com, 18 Dec. 2024
The Doomsday Clock is a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which has maintained the clock since 1947.
—Doyle Rice, The Courier-Journal, 23 Jan. 2024
These stellar objects, called dark stars, might have been fueled not by nuclear fusion but by the self-annihilation of dark matter—the invisible stuff that is thought to make up about 85 percent of the matter in the universe.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 20 July 2023
With this set-up, audiences are primed to delight in the self-annihilation of the wealthy and privileged.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Self-annihilation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-annihilation. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share