annihilationist
|an-ni-hi-la-tion-ist|
🇺🇸
/əˌnaɪəˈleɪʃənɪst/
🇬🇧
/əˌnaɪəˈleɪʃ(ə)nɪst/
one who believes in final destruction to nothing
Etymology
'annihilationist' is formed in English from 'annihilation' + the agent suffix '-ist', meaning 'one who believes in or advocates annihilation.'
'annihilation' comes from Latin 'annihilatio' (Late Latin), from the verb 'annihilare' (to reduce to nothing), itself built from 'ad-' (to) + 'nihil' (nothing). The agent-forming suffix '-ist' was later added in English to denote a person holding the view.
Originally based on the Latin sense 'to make nothing' (physical or figurative destruction), the modern noun 'annihilationist' specifically denotes a person holding the doctrinal or ideological position that something (often the wicked or the soul) will cease to exist rather than endure eternal suffering.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who holds or advocates annihilationism — the doctrine that the wicked (or the soul of the wicked) will be completely destroyed or cease to exist rather than suffer eternal conscious torment.
He identified as an annihilationist, rejecting the idea of eternal conscious torment.
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Noun 2
a person who supports or promotes the complete destruction or obliteration of something (used more generally, outside theology).
In the debate, some critics were labeled annihilationists for advocating the total dismantling of the old system.
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Last updated: 2025/08/15 20:37