obliviate

O1B3L1I1V4I1A1T1E1

verb

To forget; to wipe from existence.

“Near-synonym: obliterate”

Similar
obliterate
OriginOld French oblivion ← Latin oblīviō →
First used 1661Scrabble 14
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Meanings

verbobliviate (third-person singular simple present obliviates, present participle obliviating, simple past and past participle obliviated)

present singular third person obliviates · participle present obliviating · participle past obliviated · past obliviated

  1. archaictransitiveTo forget; to wipe from existence.First known use 1661

    Near-synonym: obliterate

    1 more example

    Time has not yet obliviated the veneration of our jacobins for France, while she was seething with faction and blood […]

    1811, George Grennell, (Please provide the book title or journal name)

    Synonyms: obliterate

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo forget; to wipe from existence.

Similar
obliterate
Also see
forget

Origin

  1. Latinoblīviō
  2. Old Frenchoblivion
  3. Englishobliviate

From oblivion + -ate (verb-forming suffix), itself either from Old French oblivion (13th century) or directly from Latin oblīviō, ultimately from oblīvīscor (“to forget”), originally “even out, smooth over, erase”; further perhaps from ob- (“against, towards”) + the root of lēvis (“smooth”) + -scor (“forming inchoative verbs”).

More words from Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

obliviate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obliviate

MLA

“obliviate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obliviate. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “obliviate,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/obliviate.

Source: obliviate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.