obliterative

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
17
Words With Friends
20
Letters
12

Definition of obliterative

3 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

adj

  1. Tending or serving to obliterate.
    “The obliterative stage is a natural process of erasing old facts, which frees the mind for new things.”
    “Applying conventional obliterative paint over graffiti is undesirable for several reasons.”
    “Obliterative diagenetic textures can be caused by recrystallization and/or replacement and result in a complete loss of the original fabrics and the formation of sparstone or microsparstone (->2).”
    “The transaction is not one of indifference to sin, or obliterative of the distinction between righteousness and unrighteousness.”
See all 3 definitions

adj

  1. Tending or serving to obliterate.
    “The obliterative stage is a natural process of erasing old facts, which frees the mind for new things.”
    “Applying conventional obliterative paint over graffiti is undesirable for several reasons.”
    “Obliterative diagenetic textures can be caused by recrystallization and/or replacement and result in a complete loss of the original fabrics and the formation of sparstone or microsparstone (->2).”
    “The transaction is not one of indifference to sin, or obliterative of the distinction between righteousness and unrighteousness.”
  2. Tending or serving to hide or deny.
    “This is undoubtedly true as a statement of the coloration, but whether this coloration is in fact obliterative needs further investigation. Of course if it is obliterative, then its use is to conceal the mammals.”
    “The obliterative method of reaction seemed to be the most personally satisfying reaction, since more in this group had adequate social adjustments, and derived pleasure from their activities.”
    “For camouflage, the two most relevant functions are SSC, where the creation of shadows is cancelled out by countershading, and obliterative shading, where the shadow/light cues for the three-dimensional form of the animal are destroyed (Poulton 1890; Thayer 1896).”
  3. Causing a passageway to become completely closed off.
    “In the case of true obliterative appendicitis, however, the opposed surfaces of the lumen have become firmly united to each other, and the obliterating band is absolutely impervious.”
    “In the 37 cases of deep gangrene observed at Mayo General Hospital, as in other similar cases, the process differed from the gangrene observed in thromboangiitis obliterans, arteriosclerosis, and other obliterative vascular diseases , chiefly because the reduction in the circulation of the foot regularly present in those diseases as the result of obliterative vascular changes was generally absent in trenchfoot.”
    “Although generally obstructive, obliterative changes may lead to non- or poorly communicating airspaces, which will not be obvious on spirometry.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From obliterate + -ive.

Words you can make from obliterative

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10-letter words

2 words

9-letter words

10 words

8-letter words

33 words

7-letter words

58 words

6-letter words

96 words

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