obliterating

verb

present participle of obliterate
as in eradicating
to destroy all traces of in a stroke, the March snowstorm obliterated our hopes for an early spring

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 obliterating Fittingly, in the ninth, Ashby endured a 110-mph out from Tommy Edman and an obliterating 108-mph line drive from Kiké Hernández that was caught for an out. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Misiorowski threw 1,115 pitches at least 100 mph during the 2026 regular season, according to Baseball Savant, obliterating the previous high of 673 set by Jordan Hicks in 2018. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Four bullets entered Shakur’s body, one obliterating his lung. — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026 Each is made in the same materials as the reference object, reducing them to pure form, melted or sundered askew, obliterating any possibility of function. — Kim Córdova, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Despite the uneasiness in Cathy’s character, the miniseries’ investment in Lee and its enormous, admirable ambition win out in the end, obliterating any of the earlier wobbles. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 More than 1,000 people are dead and nearly 4,000 missing after a Himalayan glacial collapse unleashed catastrophic floods across the Nepal-China border, obliterating roads, towns and hydropower projects. — Shristi Kafle, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Today, for a few brief moments, some one billion people experienced partly or fully dark skies as the moon passes directly in front of our star, obliterating its light. — Claire Cameron & Lee Billings, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026 Then, on August 6, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, obliterating nearly five square miles of the city. — James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliterating
  1. eradicating
  2. erasing
  3. abolishing
  4. destroying
Verb
  • But somehow, in the midst of all this frat-boy revelry, Ilya is able to outline his vision for the future, one in which AI will have solved numerous human problems, including eradicating not only cancer but also loneliness and unhappiness.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
  • This park is the result of the Tompkins’ passion for this part of the world and their desire to rewild this part of Chile that had been overfarmed and overgrazed to the point of almost eradicating its native flora and fauna.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of eradicating
Verb
  • Wallace was flagged for pass interference against Denver, erasing an interception.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The Kospi, heavily weighted in chipmaker titans Samsung and SK Hynix, closed at a six-month low, erasing all of its gains since April.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of erasing
Verb
  • Yet abolishing Greek life altogether is far from an easy proposition.
    — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The administration initially talked about abolishing the agency, arguing that states and communities could deal with disasters on their own.
    — Dana R. Fisher, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of abolishing
Verb
  • Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on Saturday, spawning tornadoes, destroying buildings and downing power lines across the Gulf region.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Israeli soldiers filmed themselves in high definition laughing, looting homes, destroying entire rows of buildings, humiliating civilians, even killing them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroying

Browse Nearby Words

obliterates
obliterating
obliteration
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Cite this Entry

“Obliterating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliterating. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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