as in devastating
causing or tending to cause destruction
the annihilatory power of atomic bombs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilatory
Adjective
-
Schools, churches, small shops that survived the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 are now a pile of rubble, part of the apocalyptic landscape left behind by the retreating forces that control almost all of Haiti’s capital.—
Johnny Fils-Aimé,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025 -
His activism was sparked by the devastating floods and rains in Uganda.—
Aniebiet Ntui,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
After my long flight home, I was relieved that the late-night visitor turned out to be nothing more than city workers on the job (and their job in this case, while surprising, didn't turn out to be too destructive).—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Just two days later, Tropical Storm Chantal triggered destructive and deadly floods in a narrow strip of North Carolina.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The effect was disastrous, my hair crimped weirdly, with sections shooting out in different directions like the discordant notes of an orchestra tuning up.—
Rachel Kushner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The mid-quarter update offered a glimmer of hope after Six Flags’ disastrous second quarter earnings report in August.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
12 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Annihilatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilatory. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share