Synonyms of obliterate

obliterate

verb

ə-ˈbli-tə-ˌrāt 

as in to eradicate

to destroy all traces of

in a stroke, the March snowstorm obliterated our hopes for an early spring

Synonyms & Similar Words

• eradicate
• erase
• abolish
• destroy
• annihilate
• exterminate
• expunge
• efface
• cancel
• liquidate
• wipe out
• shatter
• demolish
• extirpate
• sweep (away)
• blot out
• kill
• clean (up)
• stamp (out)
• dismantle
• ruin
• root (out)
• devastate
• discard
• snuff (out)
• flatten
• ravage
• consume
• decimate
• rub out
• dissolve
• black out
• wreck
• fragment
• smash
• waste
• raze
• devour
• tear down
• powder
• expel
• mow (down)
• total
• eject
• finish
• terminate
• pulverize
• dash
• ditch
• blast
• kill off
• excise
• oust
• doom
• blow up
• atomize
• zap
• dynamite
• jettison
• throw out
• cut
• splinter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protect
• preserve
• save
• conserve
• create
• build
• make
• construct
• form
• manufacture
• shape
• forge
• restore
• fabricate
• reconstruct
• rebuild
• frame
• renew
• repair
• fix
• patch
• mend
• fashion
• renovate
• recondition
• revamp

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of obliterate

These experiences can obliterate people’s ability to predict what will keep them safe. — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

The double-deck Wacker Drive obliterated a tangle of buildings and produce stalls in favor of a broad Beaux Arts thoroughfare by the Chicago River. — Robert Loerzel, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Or obliterate the self—dying of shame is not always a metaphor. — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Gregory Rousseau, Miami, 2019 Rousseau obliterated the Florida State pass protection for four sacks in a 27-10 Hurricanes romp. — Steve Svekis, Sun Sentinel, 17 Oct. 2026

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