(尤指彻底地)消灭;歼灭;使不复存在;(引申)彻底击败、压倒性打垮。也可用于抽象事物,如“希望/证据被彻底否定”。
/əˈnaɪəˌleɪtɪd/
The enemy base was annihilated overnight.
敌方基地在一夜之间被彻底摧毁了。
Years of careful planning were annihilated by a single unexpected mistake, leaving the team with nothing to show for their effort.
多年的周密计划被一次意外的失误彻底毁掉,团队的努力几乎付诸东流。
源自拉丁语 annihilare,由 **ad-**(使……成为)+ nihil(“无、没有”)构成,字面意思是“使变成不存在”。后来进入法语与英语,发展出“彻底消灭/摧毁”的强烈语气。