as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
idealists who seek the annihilation of all forms of prejudice
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of annihilation
And yet the books that Jansson wrote about the Moomins contain, sometimes explicitly and other times by way of metaphor, political themes—war, displacement, imminent annihilation, environmental catastrophe—that hardly serve as distractions from the many dangers of the world, then or now.
—
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
The new film, which came out in theaters in May, stars Cruise as daredevil field agent Ethan Hunt who must stop a rogue artificial intelligence from causing global nuclear annihilation.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
The three have a mutual interest to prevent nuclear annihilation together.
—Charles Oppenheimer, Time, 17 Aug. 2025
After the Cold War, strategists shifted to studying other threats — terrorism and such — because nuclear annihilation seemed passé.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilation
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
The new film, which came out in theaters in May, stars Cruise as daredevil field agent Ethan Hunt who must stop a rogue artificial intelligence from causing global nuclear annihilation.
—Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
The three have a mutual interest to prevent nuclear annihilation together.
—Charles Oppenheimer, Time, 17 Aug. 2025
After the Cold War, strategists shifted to studying other threats — terrorism and such — because nuclear annihilation seemed passé.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 17 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilation
Noun
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Critical wildlife habitat may be put at risk for alteration or wholesale destruction.—
Ryan Gellert,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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But tenants have little legal footing to stand on in combating that destruction.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And that's not where the worst of the devastation lies.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, published in three parts in the magazine in 1962 and later as a book, alerted the country to the devastation of the pesticide DDT and is credited with launching the modern environmental movement.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Approximately 44% of global reef-building coral species are at risk of extinction due to climate change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said in its 2024 Red List of Threatened Species.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
3 Sep. 2025
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Barriers like highways, fencing, border walls and other development projects threaten to leave roaming species without the option to expand, ultimately leading to localized extinction.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While not all of the federal government’s tariff revenue is at risk, losing a huge chunk would still create havoc on the deficit and bond market.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
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Steve gently coaxes him back to school, where the film crew is causing havoc.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There is nothing to choose between them, but there was a consistency, clinical edge and an abracadabra touch that made this performance the best Alcaraz has played in a major final, barring that 2024 demolition of Novak Djokovic on Centre Court.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Historic districts come with additional rules and regulations for renovations, construction and demolitions.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Nate Faanes, found the right lineup combinations in Saturday night’s loss, even without starting defensive linemen Jaylon Johnson and DJ Burgess, the latter being out for the season with an upper-body injury.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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Florida Democrats, weakened by years of losses and fractured messaging, continue to face a shrinking electorate.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Yet this divide-and-conquer approach, combined with the relentless attacks on civilians, has also entrenched resistance among ordinary Gazans, who now perceive Israel as undertaking a war of extermination.—
Leila Seurat,
Foreign Affairs,
26 Aug. 2025
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Palestinians and Israeli Jews also came to regard the other side’s actions as fulfillments of their own national nightmares, ethnic cleansing for one and extermination for the other.—
Hussein Agha,
New Yorker,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Annihilation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilation. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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