Annihilating

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Annihilate \An*ni"hi*late\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Annihilated};
     p. pr. & vb. n. {Annihilating}.] [L. annihilare; ad +
     nihilum, nihil, nothing, ne hilum (filum) not a thread,
     nothing at all. Cf. {File}, a row.]
     1. To reduce to nothing or nonexistence; to destroy the
        existence of; to cause to cease to be.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              It impossible for any body to be utterly
              annihilated.                          --Bacon.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To destroy the form or peculiar distinctive properties of,
        so that the specific thing no longer exists; as, to
        annihilate a forest by cutting down the trees. "To
        annihilate the army." --Macaulay.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To destroy or eradicate, as a property or attribute of a
        thing; to make of no effect; to destroy the force, etc.,
        of; as, to annihilate an argument, law, rights, goodness.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  annihilating \annihilating\ adj.
     criticising vehemently and effectively; making light of; as,
     afire with annihilating invective.
  
     Syn: devastating, withering.
          [WordNet 1.5]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  annihilating
       adj 1: wreaking or capable of wreaking complete destruction;
              "possessing annihilative power"; "a devastating
              hurricane"; "the guns opened a withering fire" [syn: {annihilative},
               {devastating}, {withering}]
       2: making light of; "afire with annihilating invective"; "a
          devastating portrait of human folly"; "to compliments
          inflated I've a withering reply"- W.S.Gilbert [syn: {devastating},
           {withering}]