aniquilar
“aniquilar” means “to annihilate” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to annihilate
Also: to wipe out, to exterminate
📝 In Action
El ejército logró aniquilar las defensas enemigas.
B2The army managed to annihilate the enemy defenses.
Una plaga puede aniquilar toda la cosecha en pocos días.
B2A plague can wipe out the entire harvest in a few days.
El objetivo es aniquilar la pobreza extrema.
C1The goal is to exterminate extreme poverty.
to crush
Also: to exhaust
📝 In Action
El Real Madrid aniquiló al rival con cinco goles.
B2Real Madrid crushed their rival with five goals.
Ese examen me dejó aniquilado.
B2That exam left me totally wiped out.
Su crítica lo aniquiló emocionalmente.
C1Her criticism crushed him emotionally.
Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Present Subjunctive
Indicative
Preterite
Imperfect
Present
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: aniquilar
Question 1 of 3
If you say 'Estoy aniquilado' after a workout, what do you mean?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'annihilare', which combines 'ad' (towards) and 'nihil' (nothing). It literally means 'to reduce something to nothing'.
First recorded: 15th century
Cognates (Related words)
💡 Master Spanish
Take your Spanish to the next level. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories tailored to your level with the Inklingo app!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'aniquilar' a common word?
It's common in formal writing, news reports about war or pests, and sports commentary. In daily life, people usually say 'destruir' or 'acabar con'.
Can I use 'aniquilar' for people?
Yes, but it's very aggressive. It implies total destruction or killing. Figuratively, it's used to mean beating someone badly in a game.
Is it a regular verb?
Yes! It follows all the standard rules for verbs ending in -ar, which makes it easy to conjugate once you know the pattern.