Obliterate  

Added by Yu-Wen Lien

Definition

VERB

1- to remove utterly from recognition or memory

2- to remove from existence: destroy all trace, indication, or significance

Synonyms: abolish, annihilate, efface, eradicate, erase, liquidated, rub out, wipe out

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Obliverate definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obliterate

Pronunciation

IPA transcription: /əbˈlɪtəˌret/

Sample Sentences

1. Come now, Percy. What you call ‘Western civilization.’ Do you think it’s just an abstract concept? No, it’s a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn’t possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. (p. 72)

2. Dozens of homes, obliterated in seconds, with the pull of a trigger. —Leanne Abraham, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2024

3. Those actions have obliterated his image as a noble idealist laboring to make the world safe for democracy and establish a secure postwar order. —Thomas Doherty, The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2024

4. My husband’s family spent decades blaming me for his choices, and his refusal to stand up to them obliterated my faith in our relationship. —Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2024

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Obliverate definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obliterate

Images

Etymology

Latin obliteratus (c.1600)

From ob "against" + littera "letter, script". 

"blot out, cause to disappear, remove all traces of, wipe out," past participle of obliterare "cause to disappear, blot out (a writing), erase, efface," figuratively "cause to be forgotten, blot out a remembrance." 

Obliterate. (n.d.). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved February 10, 2024, from https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=obliverate

Obliterate. (n.d.). Google Books Ngram Viewer. Retrieved January 18, 2024, from https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=obliterate&year_start=1500&year_end=2019&corpus=en-2019&smoothing=3

Translations 

Korean: 말살하다

Chinese: 殲滅

Kazakh: жою

Russian: изглаживать

Portuguese: obliterar

French: oblitérer

Spanish: obliterar

German: auslöschen

Turkish: yoketmek