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
These warnings were prescient, as the ensuing decades of the Cold War repeatedly brought the world to the brink of annihilation.
—
Daniel Holz, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
The findings can’t be extrapolated to the real world — the scenarios were extreme, with the regimes often facing first strikes or annihilation — but revealed AIs’ skill at strategic reasoning, as well as a certain bloodthirstiness.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
All of those on hand noted the striking parallel between Purim, which commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people from annihilation in ancient Persia, and the dismantling of government in what is now Iran.
—Laurie Perez, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
At the 2026 Biennale, his pavilion will center on the Sufi concept of Fana, the annihilation of self to achieve a collective awakening, and will posit quantum physics as the contemporary counterpart to fifteenth-century Hurufi mysticism.
—News Desk, Artforum, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilation
Daniel Holz, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
The findings can’t be extrapolated to the real world — the scenarios were extreme, with the regimes often facing first strikes or annihilation — but revealed AIs’ skill at strategic reasoning, as well as a certain bloodthirstiness.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
All of those on hand noted the striking parallel between Purim, which commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people from annihilation in ancient Persia, and the dismantling of government in what is now Iran.
—Laurie Perez, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
At the 2026 Biennale, his pavilion will center on the Sufi concept of Fana, the annihilation of self to achieve a collective awakening, and will posit quantum physics as the contemporary counterpart to fifteenth-century Hurufi mysticism.
—News Desk, Artforum, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilation
Noun
-
The fighting has carved a path of destruction from agricultural towns near the border to Beirut, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing in excess of 1 million others, according to Lebanese authorities.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Washington wanted to test if the Iranian command, after seeing the destruction from six weeks of war and the killing of its Supreme Leader, would now bend to its will, experts said.—
Saeed Shah,
Time,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In an interview with the editorial board, Prang was asked what effect the devastation of the Eaton and Palisades fires in January 2025 would have on his office.—
The Editorial Board,
Daily News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The devastation resulted in 235 buildings destroyed and the death of 72 townspeople; 205 others suffered injuries.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lumping all of these together—with the fringe extinction-risk crowd, or the StopAI protesters—misses what’s actually driving the force.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The paper argued that humanity is quickly accelerating toward extinction and advocated for violence against people who are working on developing AI.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The aim is for Abdul to cause havoc in the United States, the West Bank and Iran.—
Oline H. Cogdill,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
-
In the twentieth century, the same storms that made headlines in New York wreaked quieter havoc across the river.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The demolition of a century of history in McKeesport began on Monday, as crews started tearing down the site of the old Penn-McKee Hotel.—
Chilekasi Adele,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
According to Swire Properties, the demolition will make way for the groundbreaking of the Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami, a two-tower ultraluxury hotel and residential development scheduled for completion in 2030.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Schlapp said there's an easy explanation for Orbán's loss.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The loss against Nashville dropped Charlotte to fifth in the Eastern Conference, a goal behind NYC FC for fourth place with a chance to leapfrog them on Saturday.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While extinctions are always multi-faceted, the extermination of some species can be almost directly linked to the insatiable appetites of modern humans.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
-
All of his family except Harris and two of his sisters was deported to the Nazis’ Treblinka extermination camp and ultimately murdered.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Annihilation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilation. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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