滅ほろぼす

ほ

ろ

ぼ

す

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-su), transitive verb

destroy; ruin; overthrow; wreck

Transitive verb meaning to bring about the complete downfall or extinction of something, such as a country, organization, or way of life. Often used in historical, political, or dramatic contexts.

敵てき国こくを滅ほろぼすために戦たたかった。
They fought to destroy the enemy nation.

そのスキャンダルが彼かれのキャリアを滅ほろぼした。

The scandal ruined his career.

自し然ぜんを滅ほろぼすような開かい発はつは避さけるべきだ。

We should avoid development that would destroy nature.

Written forms

滅ほろぼすUsage77%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority in news and common usage.
ほろぼすUsage10%
亡ほろぼすUsage8%
Uncommon variant; 滅ぼす is strongly preferred.
滅ほろぼすUsage4%
search-only kanji form
Search-only form; not used in modern writing.
亡ほろぼすUsage2%
search-only kanji form
Search-only form; not used in modern writing.

Kanji

滅destroy, ruin, overthrow
亡deceased, the late, dying

Similar words

滅ほろびる
Intransitive counterpart; means 'to be destroyed' or 'to perish'. 滅ぼす is the transitive action of causing destruction.
壊こわす
Means 'to break' or 'to destroy' in a physical sense, often for objects. 滅ぼす implies complete ruin or extinction, often of abstract or large-scale entities.

Etymology

Derived from the intransitive verb 滅びる (ほろびる) via the transitive suffix す. The kanji 滅 carries the meaning of 'destroy' or 'perish'.