Definition of ANNIHILATE

annihilate

Verb

  • kill in large numbers
  • To reduce to nothing, to destroy, to eradicate.
  • To react with antimatter, producing gamma radiation and (for higher-mass reactants, especially composite particles such as protons) lighter particles (such as pions, muons, and neutrinos).
  • To treat as worthless, to vilify.
  • To render null and void; to abrogate.

Examples

  • An atom bomb can annihilate a whole city.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Latin annihilātus, perfect passive participle of annihilō (“to reduce to nothing”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ad (“to”) + nihil (“nothing”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

Synonyms

carry off, decimate, eliminate, eradicate, extinguish, wipe out, benothing, destroy

Antonyms

create, generate

Scrabble Score: 13

annihilate: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
annihilate: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
annihilate: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

annihilate: valid Words With Friends Word