How to Say "to annihilate" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to annihilate” is “aniquilar” — use 'aniquilar' when referring to the complete destruction of abstract concepts, groups, or strategic objectives, such as defenses, an enemy army, or a political movement..
aniquilar
/ah-nee-kee-lahr//anikiˈlaɾ/
Examples
La nueva política busca aniquilar la corrupción en el gobierno.
The new policy seeks to annihilate corruption in the government.
El ejército logró aniquilar las defensas enemigas.
The army managed to annihilate the enemy defenses.
Una plaga puede aniquilar toda la cosecha en pocos días.
A plague can wipe out the entire harvest in a few days.
El objetivo es aniquilar la pobreza extrema.
The goal is to exterminate extreme poverty.
Easy Regular Patterns
This word follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -ar, so it doesn't have any surprising spelling changes when you conjugate it.
Action vs. Result
When talking about something being 'annihilated' (the result), use the form 'aniquilado' with the verb 'ser' or 'estar'.
Overusing it for small things
Mistake: “Aniquilé mi juguete.”
Correction: Rompí mi juguete. 'Aniquilar' is very strong; use it for total destruction, not just breaking a toy.
exterminar
/eks-tehr-mee-NAR//eksteɾmiˈnaɾ/
Examples
Es vital exterminar las plagas para proteger la cosecha.
It is vital to exterminate the pests to protect the harvest.
Llamaron a un profesional para exterminar las cucarachas.
They called a professional to exterminate the cockroaches.
El veneno es muy fuerte y puede exterminar a toda la colonia de hormigas.
The poison is very strong and can wipe out the entire ant colony.
La guerra amenazaba con exterminar a la población civil.
The war threatened to annihilate the civilian population.
Using 'a' with 'exterminar'
When talking about exterminating groups of people, you must use the word 'a' (the personal 'a') before the group name: 'Exterminaron a los enemigos'. You usually don't use it for bugs.
Perfectly Regular
This verb follows the standard pattern for all -ar verbs. If you know how to conjugate 'hablar,' you know how to conjugate 'exterminar'!
Don't confuse with 'terminar'
Mistake: “Voy a exterminar mi tarea.”
Correction: Voy a terminar mi tarea. (Exterminar means to destroy or kill off entirely, not just to finish a task.)
Aniquilar vs. Exterminar
Related Translations
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