1
as in eradicated
to destroy all traces of
the family's attempts to annihilate the roach population in their apartment had met with little success
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroyed
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
the tornado simply annihilated the family's home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bombed
to defeat by a large margin
we didn't just win; we absolutely annihilated them!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of annihilated
The grief and guilt annihilated our worth.
—
Jennifer W. Tsai, STAT, 18 Jan. 2026
Her anger stems from a catastrophic event that annihilated the clan's homeland.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025
Bayonne’s most notable movie moment in this century was a brief appearance in Steven Spielberg’s 2005 War of the Worlds (it was annihilated by aliens).
—Andrew Rice, Curbed, 2 Dec. 2025
Playing in front of a spirited crowd in the frosty air at Cawley Memorial Stadium, Lowell annihilated Haverhill, 49-0, to win its second consecutive Thanksgiving game against the Hillies.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025
In theory, a superintelligent AI would pursue its own goals, and if those goals are incompatible with sustaining human life, we will be annihilated.
—Andrea Miotti, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
But when a sector dwindles to five companies—or four, or three, or two, or just one—the collective action problem is annihilated by the inevitable coziness among the executives of the incestuous industries.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
Release the hostages and lay down your weapons—or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Jennifer W. Tsai, STAT, 18 Jan. 2026
Her anger stems from a catastrophic event that annihilated the clan's homeland.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025
Bayonne’s most notable movie moment in this century was a brief appearance in Steven Spielberg’s 2005 War of the Worlds (it was annihilated by aliens).
—Andrew Rice, Curbed, 2 Dec. 2025
Playing in front of a spirited crowd in the frosty air at Cawley Memorial Stadium, Lowell annihilated Haverhill, 49-0, to win its second consecutive Thanksgiving game against the Hillies.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025
In theory, a superintelligent AI would pursue its own goals, and if those goals are incompatible with sustaining human life, we will be annihilated.
—Andrea Miotti, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
But when a sector dwindles to five companies—or four, or three, or two, or just one—the collective action problem is annihilated by the inevitable coziness among the executives of the incestuous industries.
—Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
Release the hostages and lay down your weapons—or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilated
Verb
-
Re-tooled with new signings, the defensive inadequacies and erratic finishing that had held the club back during his first campaign were eradicated.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
At the same time, the nation is seeing an increase in some diseases once considered eradicated here, particularly measles.—
Mike Danahey,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Well, Federer just destroyed him — 6-1, 6-4 in about 50 minutes — and that left a lot of time to fill.—
Patrick McEnroe,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The fire killed two people, destroyed 1,084 homes and businesses and did more than $2 billion in property damage.—
Judith Kohler,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As tensions soar over Iran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests, satellite images show activity at two Iranian nuclear sites bombed last year by Israel and the United States that may be a sign of Tehran trying to obscure efforts to salvage any materials remaining there.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Earlier this month, Mississippi’s oldest synagogue was fire-bombed, and a little over a week ago, threatening signs displaying a swastika and a noose were found at Shalom Park, home to multiple Jewish organizations in Charlotte.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Clippers erased a second double-digit deficit behind a 14-3 run to open the second quarter and took a 33-31 lead on Leonard’s pull-up jumper.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The decline erased more than $55 billion in market value.—
Bloomberg,
Twin Cities,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Frankly, this ruined my birthday for me for the next forty years.—
Gaby Iori
January 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Knowing what not to wash together can save plenty of headaches (and ruined garments and linens) down the line.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In an unlit room, the children are whipped and verbally chastized.—
Blake Simons,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Mountains of snow accumulated in drifts, whipped by winds of 50 mph or more.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Michigan community organizer William Lawrence, 35, who is running for Congress against GOP incumbent Tom Barrett, whose seat in the battleground state is rated as one most competitive congressional races this year by political forecasters, has explicitly called for ICE to be abolished.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
-
His successor, Jacques Chirac, briefly abolished it in 1986, but Mitterrand expeditiously revived it in 1989 upon his return to office.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
After the festival officially exits Utah, word is it’s getting demolished.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2026
-
AdventHealth bought the property in 2021; its buildings were demolished in 2023.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Annihilated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilated. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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