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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of annihilation
For this poet, the first place of childhood and language is his village in the South, a place that has continued to exist in defiance of some of the most brutal forces of occupation, aggression, and now unabashed annihilation.
—
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
It is all set in motion against a world on the brink of a major crisis, the worst threat to nuclear annihilation since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 June 2026
Despite discovering the annihilation signal more than 50 years ago, scientists still don’t know where these positrons are coming from.
—Christopher Karwin, The Conversation, 8 June 2026
But instead of death, my victim was caught in a never-ending feedback loop of aphasia, agony, and annihilation of the self.
—Jacqueline Goldblatt, PC Magazine, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilation
Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
It is all set in motion against a world on the brink of a major crisis, the worst threat to nuclear annihilation since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 9 June 2026
Despite discovering the annihilation signal more than 50 years ago, scientists still don’t know where these positrons are coming from.
—Christopher Karwin, The Conversation, 8 June 2026
But instead of death, my victim was caught in a never-ending feedback loop of aphasia, agony, and annihilation of the self.
—Jacqueline Goldblatt, PC Magazine, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilation
Noun
-
Israeli troops occupy more than 10% of Lebanese territory, leaving a trail of destruction that has seen swaths of the country’s south all but razed.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
There are those who would write her off, and perhaps her timidity before America’s facilitation of Gaza’s destruction has earned that dismissal.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Williams views Leap Life—named after his leap-year birthday—as an attempt to commune with the dead, particularly in light of the ongoing devastation in Palestine, Sudan, Haiti, Congo, and Yemen.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
17 June 2026
-
Hanuse uses footage of the smallpox survivors in the film that is over 100 years old, underscoring the devastation but also their strength.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
The Tapanuli orangutan struggle to withstand even small increases in death rates and annual losses of more than 1% a year likely put the species on a path toward extinction, Meijaard said.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
-
That would come as a surprise to variola major, the virus that caused smallpox, driven to extinction by a vaccine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
To wreak havoc on an unknown person.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
20 June 2026
-
He was also caught on surveillance video allegedly on the attack outside a pizzeria with a weapon, the outlet reported, adding that social media videos show havoc in other areas of the city as well.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
Research also suggests that recycling construction and demolition waste could meet half of China’s aggregate demand by 2050.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
-
The measure would suspend Historic Preservation Board review across the Downtown Historic District for three years, routing decisions — including demolitions — around the board entirely.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The Spurs accrued a 10-point lead at that point, blitzing the Knicks with the type of pressure expected from a team that was a loss away from an offseason filled with sadness.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
-
The Dodgers’ recent bullpen problems persisted in a 6-4 loss Sunday, overshadowing a bounce-back effort from Emmet Sheehan.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Timothy Wong, technical director of MMPC, a pest management company that provides residential and commercial extermination, prevention, and property protection services, prioritizing environmentally friendly, natural pest control solutions.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
29 May 2026
-
Though the ideas of modern political Zionism long predate the Holocaust, Israel was established by the world community in response to the unimaginable atrocities and extermination perpetrated by the Nazis, who murdered one out of every three Jews on the planet.—
Michael W. Sonnenfeldt,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Annihilation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilation. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
