Obliterative

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by an ability to thoroughly erase or nullify something from reality
2. Marked by the power to entirely eliminate or wipe out an object or concept
3. Having the feature of fully erasing or removing traces of something so nothing remains

Etymology: "Obliterative" is a plain formation: the adjective-forming suffix "-ive" added to "obliterate." The suffix comes from Latin "-ivus," which described a tendency or quality, so the word means something like "tending to obliterate." The base verb "obliterate" comes from Latin "oblitterare," built from "ob-" (against, over) and "litterae" (letters, literally the marks of writing). The original sense was to cross out or blot out written characters, so to obliterate a text meant to erase the letters themselves. That literal image of wiping out written marks is still the core of the family's meaning, which is why the word fits so naturally with traces and remnants.

Synonyms: destructive, annihilative, erasing, wiping, removing