OBLITERATION Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

obliteration

noun

Definition of obliteration

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

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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

Noun

Sixty-five percent of Gazans agreed that armed resistance had failed to protect Palestinians and had instead brought destruction.

— Michael Robbins, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026
Look past the 1951 setting, however, and the movie's anti-war message about humanity being on a crash course to destruction has never lost its poignancy.

— Richard Edwards, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of destruction

Noun

By then, fire had ravaged the community; the report suggests that incident commanders were unaware of the devastation.

— Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
How to Help Nepal’s Flood Victims Despite the devastation, there has been a beacon of hope.

— Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of devastation

Noun

LeCun is more concerned about AI regulatory capture than human extinction.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
The Florida panther was close to extinction when the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, the predecessor of the Endangered Species Act, was passed and led to changes that began to help stabilize the population.

— Timothy Randhir, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of extinction

Noun

The devastating loss of the coast has opened up the path for a change in the Saudis’ intolerance for dissent within the anti-Houthi coalition, however.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
The rite symbolizes the deceased's final departure from the world of the living and helps the family come to terms with the loss.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of loss

Noun

Earlier this week, a single Republican senator blocked Democrats' attempts to stop the construction of the arch as well as the demolition of the Kennedy Center.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026
Phoenix also holds stakes in at least eight other companies providing equipment for the Israeli military ranging from drones to warships to demolition machinery, CNN found.

— Allegra Goodwin, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of demolition

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“Obliteration.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obliteration. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of obliteration

noun

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