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!
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of annihilate
Bayonne’s most notable movie moment in this century was a brief appearance in Steven Spielberg’s 2005 War of the Worlds (it was annihilated by aliens).
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Andrew Rice, Curbed, 2 Dec. 2025
Playing in front of a spirited crowd in the frosty air at Cawley Memorial Stadium, Lowell annihilated Haverhill, 49-0, to win its second consecutive Thanksgiving game against the Hillies.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 27 Nov. 2025
In theory, a superintelligent AI would pursue its own goals, and if those goals are incompatible with sustaining human life, we will be annihilated.
—Andrea Miotti, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
It's designed to match players of similar skills into game lobbies and create a gameplay experience that doesn't pit new or casual players against hard-core players or pros who will likely annihilate them.
—PC Magazine, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for annihilate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for annihilate
Verb
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Spider mites create webs and can be eradicated with miticide spray.—
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Just last week, a professor who taught at Harvard for 40 years slammed the school for its ideological homogeneity after finishing his last semester, saying that graduate programs were denying White male applicants on racial grounds and that Western civilization courses were being eradicated.—
Verb
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So, automation can be used to destroy labor or workers’ power, but it can also be used in the opposite direction.—
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Homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed.—
Verb
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Samsung says these structural improvements allow the HP5 to overcome traditional low-light limitations.—
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Vance’s second biggest battle is overcoming political history, which statistically does not favor incumbent vice presidents’ chances of winning the White House.—
Verb
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After an incredible 20 minutes last weekend that saw the Broncos erase a 24-point deficit at San Diego State to tie the game 79-79 in the final seconds, Andrews found the ball in his hands on the final possession of the game.—
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These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Verb
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It is designed to mirror the East Wing addition after the previous building was demolished last year.—
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In order to do so, the city has to acquire the land and purchase the properties — valued at $22 million total — and demolish them, causing several businesses to close or relocate to make way for the project.—
Verb
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Medieval Europeans moved to England consistently A press release by the University of Cambridge continued that researchers studied more than 700 chemical signatures from the teeth of people buried in England between AD 400 and 1100.—
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He will be cremated, with his ashes buried next to his parents in Joliet, Osborne said.—
Verb
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The FairTax Act of 2025 was the latest bid to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and replace income tax and other levies with a national sales tax.—
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During his campaign, Mamdani pledged to keep the NYPD’s headcount flat, abolish the department’s controversial Strategic Response Group and get rid of its gang database — all proposals opposed by Tisch, who supports hiring more cops.—
Verb
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And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.—
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This will either change your life or ruin you.—
Cite this Entry
“Annihilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/annihilate. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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