Standard Lemma guide

obliteration

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 B L IH2 T ER0 EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The total destruction of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The concealing or covering of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The cancellation, erasure or deletion of something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The cancellation of the function, structure, or both of a vessel or organ; for example, the occlusion of the lumen of a duct, blood vessel, or lymphatic vessel, be it solely functional (as when squeezed by nearby mass effect or inflammation) or both structural and functional (as when clogged with thrombus, embolus, or fibrosis).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

destruction by annihilating something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: annihilation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: destruction, devastation

Narrower terms: atomization, atomisation, pulverization, pulverisation, vaporization, vaporisation

6

noun

Meaning 6

the complete destruction of every trace of something

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: eradication

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: destruction, demolition, wipeout

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English obliterate Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English -ion English obliteration From obliterate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

25 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Belarusian: знішчэ́нне (zniščénnje) — the total destruction of something
  • Bulgarian: унищоже́ние (uništožénie) — the total destruction of something
  • Catalan: obliteració — the total destruction of something
  • Czech: zničení — the total destruction of something
  • Finnish: hävittäminen — the total destruction of something
  • Finnish: tuhoaminen — the total destruction of something
  • German: Zerstörung — the total destruction of something
  • Macedonian: уништување (uništuvanje) — the total destruction of something
  • Polish: zniszczenie — the total destruction of something
  • Portuguese: obliteração — the total destruction of something
  • Russian: уничтоже́ние (uničtožénije) — the total destruction of something
  • Slovak: zničenie — the total destruction of something
  • Spanish: obliteración — the total destruction of something
  • Ottoman Turkish: افنا (ifna) — the total destruction of something
  • Ukrainian: зни́щення (znýščennja) — the total destruction of something
  • Bulgarian: заче́ркване (začérkvane) — the cancellation, erasure or deletion of something
  • Bulgarian: излича́ване (izličávane) — the cancellation, erasure or deletion of something
  • Catalan: obliteració — the cancellation, erasure or deletion of something
  • Finnish: tuhoaminen — the cancellation, erasure or deletion of something
  • German: Vernichtung — the cancellation, erasure or deletion of something
  • German: Auslöschung — the cancellation, erasure or deletion of something
  • Spanish: obliteración — the cancellation, erasure or deletion of something
  • German: Obliteration — (medicine)
  • German: Verödung — (medicine)
  • German: Verschluss — (medicine)