ANNIHILATION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does annihilation mean? 

• ANNIHILATION (noun)
  The noun ANNIHILATION has 2 senses:

1. destruction by annihilating something

2. total destruction

  Familiarity information: ANNIHILATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ANNIHILATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Destruction by annihilating something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

annihilation; obliteration

Hypernyms ("annihilation" is a kind of...):

destruction; devastation (the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "annihilation"):

atomisation; atomization (annihilation by reducing something to atoms)

pulverisation; pulverization (annihilation by pulverizing something)

vaporisation; vaporization (annihilation by vaporizing something)

Derivation:

annihilate (kill in large numbers)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Total destruction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

annihilation; disintegration

Context example:

bomb tests resulted in the annihilation of the atoll

Hypernyms ("annihilation" is a kind of...):

demolition; destruction; wipeout (an event (or the result of an event) that completely destroys something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "annihilation"):

extermination; extinction (complete annihilation)

Derivation:

annihilate (kill in large numbers)

 Context examples 

Never was our expedition in more imminent danger of complete annihilation.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The act of destroying; demolition or annihilation.

(Destruction, NCI Thesaurus)

I believe he actually began to be afraid he really had been doing something, tending to the annihilation of the British constitution, and the ruin of the country.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The ambition of the inquirer seemed to limit itself to the annihilation of those visions on which my interest in science was chiefly founded.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

I looked for his instant annihilation.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

With that she rushed across the street so impetuously that she narrowly escaped annihilation from a passing truck, and precipitated herself into the arms of a stately old gentleman, who said, I beg pardon, ma'am, and looked mortally offended.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

I grant you the name is good in itself, and Lord Edmund or Sir Edmund sound delightfully; but sink it under the chill, the annihilation of a Mr., and Mr. Edmund is no more than Mr. John or Mr. Thomas.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

You cannot now wonder, continued my master, that when you rose upon me so unexpectedly last night, I had difficulty in believing you any other than a mere voice and vision, something that would melt to silence and annihilation, as the midnight whisper and mountain echo had melted before.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

For many years of her life she had had two sons; but the crime and annihilation of Edward a few weeks ago, had robbed her of one; the similar annihilation of Robert had left her for a fortnight without any; and now, by the resuscitation of Edward, she had one again.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

The victory of the Indians and the annihilation of the ape-men, marked the turning point of our fortunes.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)