annihilation
/ə,naiə'leiʃn/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- Complete destruction or obliteration: The act of annihilating something; reducing it to nothing or to utter ruin.
- The state of being annihilated: The condition resulting from total destruction.
- (Physics): The process in which a particle and its antiparticle collide and are converted into energy or other particles.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The use of nuclear weapons could lead to the annihilation of entire cities.
- The ancient civilization faced annihilation after the volcanic eruption.
- In particle physics, electron-positron annihilation produces gamma rays.
Advanced Usage
- "Threat of annihilation": A serious danger of being completely destroyed.
- The small country lived under the constant threat of annihilation from its more powerful neighbor.
- "Self-annihilation": The act of destroying oneself, either physically or spiritually.
- The philosopher wrote about the concept of self-annihilation as a path to enlightenment.
- "Mutual annihilation": A scenario where two opposing forces destroy each other completely.
- The two armies fought to the point of mutual annihilation.
Variants and Related Words
- Annihilate (verb): To destroy completely; to reduce to nothing.
- The invading force sought to annihilate the rebel army.
- Annihilator (noun): One who or that which annihilates.
- The general was known as the annihilator of his enemies.
- Annihilative (adjective): Having the power to annihilate.
- The weapon had an annihilative capability.
Synonyms
- Obliteration: The action or fact of obliterating or being obliterated; total destruction.
- Extermination: Killing, especially of a whole group of people or animals.
- Eradication: The complete destruction of something.
- Extinction: The state or process of a species, family, or larger group being or becoming extinct.
Related Phrases
- "Annihilation of the self": (Philosophy/Religion) The concept of the dissolution of individual ego or identity.
- Some mystical traditions seek the annihilation of the self to unite with the divine.
- "Annihilation radiation": (Physics) The electromagnetic radiation produced when a particle and its antiparticle annihilate each other.
- The detector measured the gamma rays from annihilation radiation.
Idioms
- "To face annihilation": To be confronted with the prospect of total destruction.
- The outnumbered troops knew they faced annihilation.
- "On the brink of annihilation": Very close to being completely destroyed.
- The species was brought to the brink of annihilation by habitat loss.
Noun
- total destruction
- bomb tests resulted in the annihilation of the atoll
- destruction by annihilating something