Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Annihilate'

English Word: annihilate

Key Russian Translations:

• уничтожить [ʊnʲɪˈʧtoʒɪtʲ] - [Formal, General Use]
• истребить [ɪstrʲɪˈbʲitʲ] - [Formal, Often Historical or Intense Contexts]
• разрушить [rɐzˈruʃɪtʲ] - [Neutral, Often for Physical Destruction]

Frequency: Medium (commonly used in formal and written contexts)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate) for "уничтожить" and "разрушить"; C1 (Advanced) for "истребить" due to specific usage

Pronunciation (Russian):

уничтожить: [ʊnʲɪˈʧtoʒɪtʲ]

Note on уничтожить: Stress on the second syllable; the "ч" sound is like "ch" in "church."

истребить: [ɪstrʲɪˈbʲitʲ]

Note on истребить: Stress on the second syllable; often used in historical or military contexts.

разрушить: [rɐzˈruʃɪtʲ]

Note on разрушить: Stress on the second syllable; "ш" sounds like "sh" in "ship."

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. To completely destroy or eliminate (physical or abstract)

Translation(s) & Context:

• уничтожить - Used for complete destruction, often in formal or general contexts (e.g., enemies, evidence).
• истребить - Used for extermination, often with a sense of eradication (e.g., pests, populations).

Usage Examples:

• Мы должны уничтожить все следы преступления.

  We must annihilate all traces of the crime.

• Армия истребила врагов на поле боя.

  The army annihilated the enemies on the battlefield.

• Этот вирус может уничтожить целые системы.

  This virus can annihilate entire systems.

2. To demolish or ruin (structures or plans)

Translation(s) & Context:

• разрушить - Used for physical destruction or ruining plans/ideas.

Usage Examples:

• Землетрясение разрушило город.

  The earthquake annihilated the city.

• Его слова разрушили все мои надежды.

  His words annihilated all my hopes.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

уничтожить (verb, perfective): Follows regular conjugation for perfective verbs in Russian. Used for completed actions.

истребить (verb, perfective): Similar conjugation pattern to "уничтожить."

разрушить (verb, perfective): Follows regular perfective verb conjugation as well.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for уничтожить:

• ликвидировать (more formal, often for eliminating threats)
• стерть (used for erasing or wiping out)

Antonyms for уничтожить:

• создать (to create)
• сохранить (to preserve)

Related Phrases:

• уничтожить врага - to annihilate the enemy (common in military contexts).
• разрушить планы - to annihilate plans (to ruin or destroy someone's plans).
• истребить вредителей - to annihilate pests (used in agricultural or biological contexts).

Usage Notes:

• "уничтожить" is the most versatile and commonly used translation for "annihilate," suitable for both physical and abstract destruction.
• "истребить" often carries a stronger, more intense connotation, frequently used in historical, military, or extermination contexts.
• "разрушить" is typically used for physical destruction or ruining intangible things like plans or hopes, but not for complete eradication of life or entities.
• Be mindful of the perfective aspect of these verbs; they imply a completed action. For ongoing destruction, imperfective forms like "уничтожать" or "разрушать" are used.

Common Errors:

Error 1: Using "разрушить" when referring to annihilating a group of people or enemies. This is incorrect as "разрушить" is more about physical structures or plans.

Incorrect: Мы разрушили врагов. (We destroyed the enemies.)

Correct: Мы уничтожили врагов. (We annihilated the enemies.)

Error 2: Confusing "уничтожить" with "истребить" in casual contexts. "истребить" is more specific and intense, often inappropriate for everyday use.

Incorrect: Я истребил старые документы. (I exterminated old documents.)

Correct: Я уничтожил старые документы. (I annihilated old documents.)

Cultural Notes:

The term "истребить" is often associated with historical contexts in Russian, particularly related to wartime narratives or Soviet-era rhetoric about "exterminating enemies of the state." Using it in casual conversation might evoke unintended connotations, so it should be used cautiously.

Related Concepts:

• разрушение (destruction)
• уничтожение (annihilation)
• истребление (extermination)