obliteration

noun

Definition of obliterationnext
as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless the ill-advised obliteration of the town's historic district in order to make way for a shopping center

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 obliteration In 1880, a local history of Pickaway County expressed regret over the obliteration of its earthworks. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 Kusama’s talk of self-obliteration sounds vaguely Buddhist or Taoist. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 The rooms were part of Kusama’s ongoing exploration of self-obliteration and her career-long ambition to create work that provokes a keen awareness of both one’s individual insignificance and place in the wider cosmic system. — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 The theme of self-obliteration carried over into a 1968 film by Kusama of the same title, in which polka dots flowed out of her paintings and onto people’s bodies. — News Desk, Artforum, 27 Aug. 2026 There was Kyle Harrison’s revenge game and Logan Webb’s first true gem of the season; the 19-run outburst and the seven-homer barrage; the walk-off losses and the 14-run obliteration; the introduction of third base coach Gary Pettis and the shocking promotion of outfielder Jonah Cox. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 8 June 2026 This was an obliteration, of a player one year his senior. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 3 June 2026 Visitors are stunned seeing the rampant, deliberate obliteration of the character of Hillcrest. — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026 The Butlerian Jihad ultimately resulted in the obliteration of all thinking machines, as well as a wholesale ban on any new robotic creations. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for obliteration
  1. destruction
  2. devastation
  3. havoc
  4. extinction
  5. loss
  6. demolition
Noun
  • The end of saving money and raising middle-class wages justifies the means, namely, the destruction of immigrant families.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The destruction releases vast stores of carbon, adding to climate change that is already contributing to drought and forest fires across the tropics.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of destruction
Noun
  • The devastation spread on a sunny, calm weekend without warning.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Most of the new songs wrestle with how to seek pleasure while remaining hyperaware of the devastations of the world, and how that tension can make happiness itself feel like a vice.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastation
Noun
  • The Misfits Complementing spring’s embrace of graphic havoc is an intriguing offness of fit, as seen at Jil Sander, Givenchy, and Lii.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Deleting a second has never previously been attempted and could create havoc in today’s digitally time-stamped world.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • Every researcher who quits Anthropic to write a viral letter about extinction is casting himself, in the drama running in his own head, as Oppenheimer walking away from the bomb.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In a world where AI and algorithms are trumpeting our extinction on a daily basis, Wildwood kicks the conversation in entirely the other direction.
    — Bridget Arsenault, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of extinction
Noun
  • If the answer is yes, the efficiency gain may be a competitive loss in disguise.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The British Antarctic Survey researchers emphasize that future losses could be exacerbated if emissions are not reduced.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of loss
Noun
  • Over the past several months, Israel has carried out large-scale demolitions in villages that its troops occupy.
    — Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • City leaders led another round of demolition at South Fulton's Camelot Condominiums on Friday.
    — La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of demolition

Browse Nearby Words

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obliteration
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Cite this Entry

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

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