Synonyms for obliterate
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Destroy — to destroy (someone or something) completely, leaving no trace; to annihilate, to wipe out
destroy, annihilate, wipe out, erase, kill, remove, blot out, eliminate, eradicate, exterminate, expunge, rub out, cancel, extirpate, devastate, raze, abolish, uproot, extinguish, abrogate, deface, do away with informal
Definitions
- v. 1
To destroy (someone or something) completely, leaving no trace; to annihilate, to wipe out.
- v. 2
To hide (something) by covering it; to conceal, to obscure.
The rainclouds obliterated the sun as they swept across the sky.
Related words
- Word family
- obliterable obliterated obliterature obliteration obliviate oblivion
Forms
- Past participle
- obliterated
e.g. obliterated → destroyed, annihilated, erased, killed…
Choose the right word
Cancel, efface, erase, expunge, and obliterate have as their first meaning the removal of written characters or other forms of record.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- destroy Do you really think it will destroy my reputation?
- erase He used a piece of paper to erase the whiteboard.
- annihilate We shall annihilate anyone who stands in our way!
- efface I tried to efface the memory of her tears.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| obliterate | steady | |
| destroy | steady | |
| erase | rising | |
| annihilate | rising | |
| efface | rising |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 4 letters
- kill1, hide1, veil1, raze1
- 5 letters
- erase2
- 6 letters
- remove2, cancel2, uproot2, deface2, efface2
- 7 letters
- destroy2, obscure2, abolish3, expunge2
- 8 letters
- abrogate3
- 9 letters
- eliminate4, eradicate4, devastate3, extirpate3, obliviate
- 10 letters
- extinguish3, annihilate4
- 11 letters
- exterminate4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (erase2 = 2 syllables).