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
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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!
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Recent Examples of annihilating
If Neptune did have an original set of moons that more closely resembled those of its planetary neighbors, the arrival of Triton — which is just smaller than our own moon — would have wreaked havoc, crashing into the other satellites and annihilating some of them.
—
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Now southern Republicans are annihilating Black political power.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Instead, it is filled with a froth of virtual particles becoming real in pairs, waving to us, annihilating each other, and sinking back into the soup of virtual particles.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
One compelling hypothesis is that dark matter particles in the dense central halo are interacting with and annihilating one another, releasing energy as gamma rays.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
That means eliminating Iran's Navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting their Air Force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defense industrial base.
—James Powel, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
The Death Star, the Empire's planet-annihilating battlestation, has long been the Holy Grail of Lego Star Wars fans.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2026
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
Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Now southern Republicans are annihilating Black political power.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Instead, it is filled with a froth of virtual particles becoming real in pairs, waving to us, annihilating each other, and sinking back into the soup of virtual particles.
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
One compelling hypothesis is that dark matter particles in the dense central halo are interacting with and annihilating one another, releasing energy as gamma rays.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
That means eliminating Iran's Navy, which is now absolutely destroyed, hurting their Air Force and their missile program at levels never seen before, and annihilating their defense industrial base.
—James Powel, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
The Death Star, the Empire's planet-annihilating battlestation, has long been the Holy Grail of Lego Star Wars fans.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 12 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilating
Verb
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Renz said his team is using the DNR's experiences in eradicating the plant to learn how to speed up the process.—
Jack Albright,
jsonline.com,
18 Aug. 2025
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By circumventing and nearly eradicating its roots, the brand was met with positive and negative responses.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Rather than destroying employment, AI would improve small-business competitiveness, seeding novel job categories around AI development, oversight, and maintenance.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
11 Dec. 2025
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This week's Thai attacks, which stem from a long-running border dispute between the two Southeast Asian nations, have also forced more than 20,000 from their homes in several communities, the Cambodian ministry said, along with destroying infrastructure, damaging temples disrupting public services.—
Morgan Winsor,
ABC News,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
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That program is based on the notion that housing should be a prerequisite for people dealing with addictions or mental illness, not a reward for overcoming them.—
Jim Morrill,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Dec. 2025
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That means overcoming Ella’s hostility and bridging the divide with her uncommunicative kid brother Casey (Spike Fearn), an MIT graduate who has become an agoraphobic shut-in since his breakup with beloved girlfriend Susan (Ayo Edebiri).—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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That will also change the prices the Chinese can offer, possibly erasing their cost advantage.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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Others accused the brand of catering to Black elitism, erasing the varied experiences of Black Americans involvement with the Ralph Lauren brand.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Phase one, tentatively scheduled for June 2026 to August 2027, includes demolishing several buildings, upgrading library fire alarms and readying central campus for construction.—
Gqlshare,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Dec. 2025
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The demolition proposal went before the historic preservation commission under the city’s review rules, which call for taking a closer look before demolishing older buildings that could be historic and considering alternatives or options for reuse.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
25 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev capitalized on the ensuing power play, burying Vegas' first shot of the night off a terrific feed from Jack Eichel.—
Matt Reigle,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
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Jacob Scott Bevins, 36, is accused of inflicting forceful trauma on Aiden Bevins, leading to the boy's death before burying him under his residence, KING 5 and KATU reported on Friday, June 5.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Citing his leadership, Senate Republicans in 2023 proposed abolishing the institute and divvying up its functions.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
21 Aug. 2025
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Trump and members of his administration have also repeatedly suggested abolishing the agency — though the president did pave the way for FEMA to assist in relief from the Texas floods in July.—
Cailey Gleeson,
jsonline.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Historically, barrels of Madeira spent months crossing tropical oceans aboard ships, and merchants realized that the heat actually improved the wine rather than ruining it.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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The antics each week involved lovable Gilligan ruining a plan to get the gang rescued, but also ogling the bombshell Ginger (Tina Louise) and getting annoyed by Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus).—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Annihilating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilating. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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