I. -rə̇t adjective
Etymology: Latin obliteratus, oblitteratus, past participle of obliterare, oblitterare to obliterate
1. : blotted out : obliterated
2. : faint , indistinct , obscure — used especially of markings on an insect
II. -ˌrāt, usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin obliteratus, oblitteratus, past participle of obliterare, oblitterare, probably from ob- to, against, over + litera, littera letter — more at ob- , letter
transitive verb
1. : to remove from significance and bring to nothingness: as
a. : to make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring, covering, or wearing or chipping away
a dimness … envelops consciousness as mist obliterates a crag — Emily Dickinson
only copper so worn that even the stamp is obliterated — Amy Lowell
b. : to remove utterly from recognition, cognizance, consideration, or memory
a successful love crowned all other successes and obliterated all other failures — J.W.Krutch
c.
(1) : to remove from existence : make nonexistent : destroy utterly all traces, indications, significance of
many of our monuments … seem to shout for a friendly zeppelin to obliterate them — W.R.Inge
(2) : to cause to disappear (as a body part, scar, or the lumen of a duct) : remove
possible to obliterate the gall bladder by electrosurgical methods
2. : to withdraw utterly from attention and make as inconspicuous as if nonexistent
those hero-worshipers who obliterate themselves — Robert Lynd
3. : cancel
intransitive verb
: to become obliterated
Synonyms: see erase