English Explanatory Dictionary

annihilate

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To reduce to nothing, to destroy, to eradicate.
  2. 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).
  3. To treat as worthless, to vilify.
  4. To render null and void; to abrogate.
  5. To cause to become zero by means of an annihilator operator.

Pronunciation

/əˈnaɪ.ə.leɪt/ en-us-annihilate.ogg

Word forms

annihilate annihilates annihilating annihilated

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). See also an-.

Synonyms

benothing destroy eradicate extinguish

Antonyms

create generate

Related words

annihilable annihilation annihilative annihilator annul nihilism nihilist null nullify

Derived words

annihilator method coannihilate self-annihilate
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