Meanings
nounannihilation (countable and uncountable, plural annihilations)
plural annihilations
- countableuncountableThe act of destroying or otherwise turning into nothing, or nonexistence.
Synonyms: extinction, eradication
- countableuncountableThe act of destroying the form or combination of parts under which a thing exists, so that the name can no longer be applied to it.
the annihilation of a corporation
- countableuncountableThe state of being annihilated.
If you ask how religion thus falls on the thorns and faces death, and in the very act annuls annihilation, I cannot explain the matter, for it is religion's secret, and to understand it you must yourself have been a religious man of the extremer type.
1902, William James, “Lecture 2”, in The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature […] , New York, N.Y.; London: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], →OCLCSynonyms: extinction
- countableuncountablenatural sciencesThe process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe act of destroying or otherwise turning into nothing, or nonexistence.
Similar
nounThe state of being annihilated.
Similar
antonym(s) of “act of reducing to nothing”
Opposite
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinannihilātiō
- Middle Frenchannihilation
- Englishannihilation
From Middle French annihilation, from Latin annihilātiō. By surface analysis, annihilate + -ion.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic إِفْنَاء, تَدْمِير
- إِفْنَاء (ʔifnāʔ)act of reducing to nothing
- تَدْمِير (tadmīr)act of reducing to nothing
- إِفْنَاء (ʔifnāʔ)(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Bengali ফানা
- ফানা (fana)act of reducing to nothing
Bulgarian унищоже́ние, изтре́бване
- унищоже́ние (uništožénie)act of reducing to nothing
- изтре́бване (iztrébvane)act of reducing to nothing
- анихилация (anihilacija)(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Catalan anihilació, anihilació
- anihilacióact of reducing to nothing
- anihilació(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Chinese Mandarin 毁灭, 毀滅 /毁灭
- 毁灭 (huǐmiè)act of reducing to nothing
- 毀滅 /毁灭 (huǐmiè)act of reducing to nothing
- 湮灭 (yānmiè)(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
- 湮滅 /湮灭 (yānmiè)(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Czech zničení, anihilace
- zničeníact of reducing to nothing
- anihilace(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Dutch vernietiging
- vernietigingact of reducing to nothing
Finnish tuhoaminen, hävittäminen
- tuhoaminenact of reducing to nothing
- hävittäminenact of reducing to nothing
- tuhoutuminenstate of being annihilated
- annihilaatio(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
French annihilation
- annihilationact of reducing to nothing
German Vernichtung, Zerstörung
- Vernichtungact of reducing to nothing
- Zerstörungact of reducing to nothing
- Annihilation(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Hebrew הַשְׁמָדָה, חיסול
- הַשְׁמָדָה (hashmadá)act of reducing to nothing
- חיסולact of reducing to nothing
Hindi उन्मूलन, सर्वनाश
- उन्मूलन (unmūlan)act of reducing to nothing
- सर्वनाश (sarvanāś)act of reducing to nothing
- विनाश (vināś)state of being annihilated
- विध्वंस (vidhvans)state of being annihilated
- विलोपन (vilopan)(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Italian annientamento, annichilazione
- annientamentoact of reducing to nothing
- annichilazioneact of reducing to nothing
- annichilimentoact of reducing to nothing
- annientamentostate of being annihilated
- annichilazionestate of being annihilated
- annichilimentostate of being annihilated
- annientamento(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
- annichilazione(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
- annichilimento(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Japanese 根絶, 殲滅
- 根絶 (konzetsu)act of reducing to nothing
- 殲滅 (senmetsu)act of reducing to nothing
- 全滅 (senmetsu)state of being annihilated
- 絶滅 (zetsumetsu)state of being annihilated
Korean 전멸
- 전멸 (jeonmyeol)act of reducing to nothing
Latin annihilatio
- annihilatioact of reducing to nothing
Malay pemusnahhabisan
- pemusnahhabisan(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Māori korehāhā, korehāhā
- korehāhāact of reducing to nothing
- korehāhāstate of being annihilated
- whakamōtītangastate of being annihilated
Persian نابودی
- نابودی (nâbudi)act of reducing to nothing
Polish zniszczenie, niszczenie
- zniszczenieact of reducing to nothing
- niszczenieact of reducing to nothing
- anihilacjastate of being annihilated
- anihilacja(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Portuguese aniquilação, aniquilação
- aniquilaçãoact of reducing to nothing
- aniquilaçãostate of being annihilated
- aniquilação(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Romanian anihilare, anihilare
- anihilareact of reducing to nothing
- anihilarestate of being annihilated
- anihilare(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Russian уничтоже́ние, истребле́ние
- уничтоже́ние (uničtožénije)act of reducing to nothing
- истребле́ние (istreblénije)act of reducing to nothing
- разруше́ние (razrušénije)act of reducing to nothing
- уничтоже́ние (uničtožénije)state of being annihilated
- аннигиля́ция (annigiljácija)(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Slovak zničenie
- zničenieact of reducing to nothing
Spanish aniquilación, aniquilamiento
- aniquilaciónact of reducing to nothing
- aniquilamientoact of reducing to nothing
- anihilaciónact of reducing to nothing
- anihilamientoact of reducing to nothing
- aniquilaciónstate of being annihilated
- aniquilamientostate of being annihilated
- anihilaciónstate of being annihilated
- anihilamientostate of being annihilated
- aniquilación(physics) process of a particle and its corresponding antiparticle combining to produce energy
Swedish utplåning, förintelse
- utplåningact of reducing to nothing
- förintelseact of reducing to nothing
- utplånandeact of reducing to nothing
Ukrainian зни́щення
- зни́щення (znýščennja)act of reducing to nothing
Yiddish פֿאַרטיליקונג
- פֿאַרטיליקונג (fartilikung)act of reducing to nothing
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with annihilation
informationeducationlocationapplicationassociationadministrationorganizationcorporationregistrationAsianfoundationcommunicationpopulationnavigationstationaccommodationoperationpublicationvacationtransportationevaluationimplementationinstallationnation
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
annihilation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/annihilation
MLA
“annihilation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/annihilation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “annihilation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/annihilation.
Source: annihilation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.