1
as in to eradicate
to destroy all traces of
the family's attempts to annihilate the roach population in their apartment had met with little success
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
the tornado simply annihilated the family's home
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to overcome
to defeat by a large margin
we didn't just win; we absolutely annihilated them!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of annihilate
Dark matter particles scatter off one another; some get boosted into the excited state, annihilate and produce gamma rays.
—
Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
But that doesn’t mean we never get stuck in the dark corners of our pasts, tempting our regrets to rise up and annihilate us.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 May 2026
Mary is willing to be annihilated and remade.
—Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Investors were suddenly gripped with the fear that AI would annihilate software companies of every kind.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
But that doesn’t mean we never get stuck in the dark corners of our pasts, tempting our regrets to rise up and annihilate us.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 May 2026
Mary is willing to be annihilated and remade.
—Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Investors were suddenly gripped with the fear that AI would annihilate software companies of every kind.
—Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilate
Verb
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Armed with a forestry degree from Yale, Leopold was tasked with running a program to eradicate wolves and mountain lions in New Mexico and Arizona.—
Mark VanderSchaaf,
Twin Cities,
18 May 2026
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Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio has not been eradicated, according to the World Health Organization.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The fire destroyed two structures — a cabin and an equipment shed — and forced the evacuation of 11 National Park Service employees, who were rescued by a Santa Barbara County Fire Department helicopter.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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Covers personal property used to secure a loan as collateral if it's destroyed.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The project comes on the heels of filmmaker Nina Lee and Will Packer discussing the rarity of You, Me & Tuscany alongside the hardships and hurdles that Black romance films must overcome in the industry from conception to funding to box office.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
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Despite the hurdles that must be overcome, many experts are pretty jazzed about the possibility of a lunar nuclear reactor.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
19 May 2026
Verb
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After Orlando squandered a chance on the counterattack, Philadelphia capitalized in transition to erase the remaining deficit.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
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Lehmann considers the contested history of Anne Boleyn, the outlandish accusations against her, and the ways in which her image has been erased and changed over time.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
Verb
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There, on the Hudson River waterfront, David Wojnarowicz wrote poems and painted murals alongside Luis Frangella and Mike Bidlo, while Peter Hujar and Dirk Rowntree photographed scenes of impromptu happenings and performances, before the site was demolished in 1984.—
Natalia Torija,
Curbed,
14 May 2026
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Playing in Cincinnati, just about 100 miles away from his hometown of Louisville, Daylen Lile demolished a home run in the 10th inning on Wednesday to help the Washington Nationals earn an 8-7 comeback win over the Cincinnati Reds.—
Danielle Allentuck,
Washington Post,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The text card at the close of the episode notes that between 1980 and 1988, more than 200,000 Iranians were killed during the war, while over 15,000 Iranian political prisoners were executed and buried in mass graves.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 May 2026
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Actor Billy Gardell, a Pittsburgh native, walks a new security guard through it all with the schedule buried at the end.—
Teresa M. Walker,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Let’s go down memory lane and recall that the 13th Amendment is abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude.—
Ann Marie Luft,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
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The Deep is just going through it in this episode, starting with the news that Homelander is abolishing the Seven.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
Verb
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Since 2015, it has been held in ten different cities, including Las Vegas, where a red carpet was constructed atop the Bellagio’s fountain pool, and Nashville, where rowdy attendees ruined bachelorette parties on Broadway.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Many riads were in a state of disrepair, crammed with striking examples of traditional craftsmanship going to ruin.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilate. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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