1
as in eradicating
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in destroying
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 overcoming
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 annihilating
So, if the president succeeds in 'annihilating,' in his words, the Iranian navy, then long-term prospects of closure should decline, and that should increase the likelihood that ships will start sailing again.
—
David McHugh, Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
Its project is annihilating transformation.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Usually these particles almost immediately disappear again by annihilating each other—but not this time.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026
As the Universe expands and cools, the cross-section drops, and eventually, dark matter stops annihilating away or interacting with anything else in any appreciable way.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Indiana’s defense is masterful, a plug-and-play roster that is annihilating opponents without its leading tackler.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
The ruthless annihilating self-criticism silenced by looking into your big brown eyes, a mirror and a time machine.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Oh, and stopping the Soviets from annihilating the world.
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
As a result, Israel preserved its existence without annihilating vast opposition forces.
—Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2025
David McHugh, Arkansas Online, 3 Mar. 2026
Its project is annihilating transformation.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
Usually these particles almost immediately disappear again by annihilating each other—but not this time.
—Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 4 Feb. 2026
As the Universe expands and cools, the cross-section drops, and eventually, dark matter stops annihilating away or interacting with anything else in any appreciable way.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Indiana’s defense is masterful, a plug-and-play roster that is annihilating opponents without its leading tackler.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026
The ruthless annihilating self-criticism silenced by looking into your big brown eyes, a mirror and a time machine.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
Oh, and stopping the Soviets from annihilating the world.
—Vulture Editors, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2025
As a result, Israel preserved its existence without annihilating vast opposition forces.
—Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilating
Verb
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More imminently, Krugman wrote war costs could collide with fears of artificial intelligence eradicating jobs—or eventually suffering a reversal in fortunes on the market, taking asset prices and business confidence down with it.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Yet Aii has struggled to achieve more than a handful of percentage points of its goal of eradicating 100 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by the decade’s end.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Iran itself is destroying homes and schools, killing and wounding dozens, and disrupting daily life, sometimes beyond recognition.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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But destroying much of Iran’s ability to project power and attacking the security forces that suppress the Iranian public will surely hasten the regime’s collapse.—
Dennis Ross,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ensuring the power supply is reliable, as well as overcoming regulation, will also be key, Hernandez said.—
April Roach,Gaelle Legrand,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Having won the competition set by her late, estranged father Alexandre (Stanley Weber) to determine the heir to his wine empire, Camille Leger (Fleur Geffrier) took an important step toward overcoming Alexandre’s toxic emotional legacy.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The beams would be far brighter than the full moon and, even if carefully pointed, would scatter in the atmosphere to be very bright off-beam, disrupting wildlife and effectively destroying the sky’s remaining natural beauty by erasing the stars from our sight.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The stock market plunged on Tuesday, erasing Monday's comeback.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Simply demolishing it would cost a tiny fraction of that.—
Jason Rantala,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The city should follow that advice, and scrap the idea of demolishing its historic civic architecture.—
Mark Lamster
Architecture Critic,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
All the Little Animals is a small movie about a young man (Bale) with brain damage suffered in a car accident who comes across a gentle older man (John Hurt) who spends his days burying animals killed on the side of the road.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
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This prevents smells, reduces the risk of pests, and speeds up breakdown when burying the peels.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The Common Council passed a resolution, which in part supports abolishing ICE, that now heads to Mayor Johnson.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Trump has long mocked Bush for ruining his presidency by invading Iraq, and his administration over the past week has sought to downplay any parallels between Bush’s misadventures and its own attack on Iran.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2026
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The White House believed that that Iran was intentionally ruining the Mideast peace process, and then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich had called Iran the most dangerous nation on Earth.—
Brit McCandless Farmer,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Annihilating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilating. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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