Meaning & use
oblivion
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Meanings
noununcountable
The condition of being forgotten and no longer noticed by the public.
Grammar: No 'a' or plural: fade into oblivion.
Patterns
- fade into oblivion
- sink into oblivion
The band faded into oblivion after one hit song.
Many early films have vanished into oblivion.
noununcountableliterary
A state in which you are unconscious or unaware of what is around you.
Grammar: Often after 'into' or 'in'.
Patterns
- drift into oblivion
He drank himself into oblivion.
After the long shift she slept in blissful oblivion.
noununcountablefigurative
Total destruction or disappearance.
Grammar: Often figurative: bomb something into oblivion.
Patterns
- into oblivion
The old village was bombed into oblivion.
Their savings were wiped into oblivion by the crash.
Common combinations
- fade into oblivion
- Fashion trends often fade into oblivion.
- slip into oblivion
- The language slipped into oblivion.
- save from oblivion
- The curator saved the painting from oblivion.
- drift into oblivion
- He drifted into oblivion as the medicine took effect.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obscurity
- Stresses being little known, not completely forgotten.
- unconsciousness
- Describes the medical state only, and has no sense of being forgotten.
Opposites
Word family
- oblivious adjective
- unaware of what is going on
Commonly confused: oblivion or oblivious?
oblivion vs oblivious
Oblivious describes a person who does not notice something; oblivion is a state or fate.
Practice
The once-famous actor slowly sank into ______.
Choose one answer.
Sank into oblivion means became forgotten. 'Oblivious' is an adjective and does not fit after 'into'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “oblivion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.