What is annihilate? How to use in English

Definition & pronunciation of annihilate

annihilateverb

hủy diệt

/əˈnaɪəleɪt//əˈnaɪəleɪt/

Where does the word annihilate come from?

Word Originlate Middle English (originally as an adjective meaning ‘destroyed, annulled’): from late Latin annihilatus ‘reduced to nothing’, from the verb annihilare, from ad- ‘to’ + nihil ‘nothing’. The sense ‘destroy utterly’ dates from the mid 16th cent.

Vocabulary summary annihilate

typetransitive verb

meaningdestroy, annihilate, destroy, annihilate

Example of vocabulary annihilatenamespace

meaning

to destroy somebody/something/yourself completely

  • The human race has enough weapons to annihilate itself.
  • The missile struck the enemy's base with such force that it completely annihilated it.
  • The fire raged through the building, annihilating everything in its path.
  • The virus spread rapidly, annihilating the entire population in a matter of weeks.
  • The earthquake left the city in ruins, annihilating all signs of civilization.
meaning

to defeat somebody/something completely

  • She annihilated her opponent, who failed to win a single game.

Synonyms and related words for annihilate

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