1.
downfall, ruin, destruction, collapse
The complete destruction or collapse of a nation, civilization, dynasty, or organization. Implies a final, irreversible end. Used in historical contexts for the fall of empires and in fiction for apocalyptic scenarios.
ローマ帝国は滅亡した。
The Roman Empire fell.
文明の滅亡を描いた映画だ。
It's a film depicting the destruction of civilization.
内部の争いが国を滅亡に導いた。
Internal conflicts led the country to ruin.
USAGE:
A dramatic, weighty word used for the permanent end of something large — nations, empires, civilizations, or species. Not used for small-scale failures or temporary setbacks.
Very common in history writing (the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate, the collapse of ancient civilizations) and in science fiction or fantasy (the destruction of the world).
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 崩壊: collapse, disintegration (can be partial or recoverable)
- 消滅: extinction, annihilation (ceasing to exist)
- 衰退: decline, decay (gradual weakening, not yet destroyed)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 国の滅亡: the fall of a nation
- 滅亡に導く: to lead to ruin
- 滅亡の危機: crisis of destruction
- 人類の滅亡: the extinction of humanity