oblivion

Meaning

Noun

1. (uncountable, usually) The state of forgetting completely, of being oblivious, unconscious, unaware, as when sleeping, drunk, or dead.
2. (uncountable, usually) 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.
3. (uncountable, usually) A form of purgatory.
4. (obsolete, uncountable, usually) Amnesty.

Verb

To consign to oblivion; to efface utterly.

Synonyms

forgetfulness

forgetting

lapse of memory

limbo

disregard

obliviousness

nullity

obliteration

unconsciousness

zero

Lethe

irretention

amnesia

scotomisation

fluff

forgotten past

heedlessness

loss of memory

neglect

Translations

oubli

oblio

olvido

λήθη

esquecimento

Vergessenheit

نسيان

λησμονιά

vergetelheid

oblivio

oblīviō

Nichtbeachtung

ilgisizlik

Pronounced as (IPA)

/əˈblɪviːən/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: oblivion

In summary

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