oblivion

CEFRC1

/əˈblɪviːən/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A state in which someone or something is forgotten.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A form of purgatory.

Examples

  • Finishing second in the Olympics gets you silver. Finishing second in politics gets you oblivion.

  • I feel as if I've been thrown into oblivion.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The state of forgetting completely, of being oblivious, unconscious, unaware, as when sleeping, drunk, or dead.

  2. The state of being completely forgotten, of being reduced to a state of non-existence, extinction, or nothingness, including through war and destruction. (Figuratively) for an area like hell, a wasteland.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To consign to oblivion; to efface utterly.

More examples

In context

  • Due to modern technology, many more people and much more information will not slip into oblivion, contrary to what happened throughout history until now.

  • Only the oblivion of sleep can heal the greatest traumas.

  • He regularly drank himself into oblivion.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The ancient civilization fell into blank after its last city was abandoned and forgotten.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Inherited from Middle English oblivion, from Anglo-Norman oblivion, from Latin oblīviō (“forgetfulness”), from oblīvīscor (“to forget”).