diff --git a/internal/controllers/reconciliation/controller.go b/internal/controllers/reconciliation/controller.go
index 08f7d135..e940e2fa 100644
--- a/internal/controllers/reconciliation/controller.go
+++ b/internal/controllers/reconciliation/controller.go
@@ -213,6 +213,16 @@ func (c *Controller) reconcileSnapshot(ctx context.Context, comp *apiv1.Composit
 			return false, nil // already deleted - nothing to do
 		}
 
+		if res.ForceDeletion && len(current.GetFinalizers()) > 0 {
+			current.SetFinalizers([]string{})
+			err := c.upstreamClient.Update(ctx, current, client.FieldOwner("eno"))
+			if err != nil {
+				return true, fmt.Errorf("removing finalizers: %w", err)
+			}
+			logger.V(0).Info("removed finalizers before deletion")
+			return true, nil
+		}
+
 		reconciliationActions.WithLabelValues("delete").Inc()
 		err := c.upstreamClient.Delete(ctx, current)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/controllers/reconciliation/crud_test.go b/internal/controllers/reconciliation/crud_test.go
index 0f433708..fdc3e3fc 100644
--- a/internal/controllers/reconciliation/crud_test.go
+++ b/internal/controllers/reconciliation/crud_test.go
@@ -1072,3 +1072,37 @@ func TestResourceSelector(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 	assert.True(t, errors.IsNotFound(mgr.DownstreamClient.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "default", Name: "test-obj-1"}, &corev1.ConfigMap{})))
 }
+
+func TestForceDeletion(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := testutil.NewContext(t)
+	mgr := testutil.NewManager(t)
+	upstream := mgr.GetClient()
+
+	testutil.WithFakeExecutor(t, mgr, func(ctx context.Context, s *apiv1.Synthesizer, input *krmv1.ResourceList) (*krmv1.ResourceList, error) {
+		output := &krmv1.ResourceList{}
+		output.Items = []*unstructured.Unstructured{{
+			Object: map[string]any{
+				"apiVersion": "v1",
+				"kind":       "ConfigMap",
+				"metadata": map[string]any{
+					"name":        "test-obj-1",
+					"namespace":   "default",
+					"annotations": map[string]any{"eno.azure.io/force-deletion": "true"},
+					"finalizers":  []any{"eno.azure.io/test", "eno.azure.io/another-one"},
+				},
+			},
+		}}
+		return output, nil
+	})
+
+	registerControllers(t, mgr)
+	setupTestSubject(t, mgr)
+	mgr.Start(t)
+	_, comp := writeGenericComposition(t, upstream)
+	waitForReadiness(t, mgr, comp, nil, nil)
+
+	require.NoError(t, upstream.Delete(ctx, comp))
+	testutil.Eventually(t, func() bool {
+		return errors.IsNotFound(upstream.Get(ctx, client.ObjectKeyFromObject(comp), comp))
+	})
+}
diff --git a/internal/resource/resource.go b/internal/resource/resource.go
index 80b36260..4e61db23 100644
--- a/internal/resource/resource.go
+++ b/internal/resource/resource.go
@@ -284,6 +284,9 @@ func (r *Resource) SnapshotWithOverrides(ctx context.Context, comp *apiv1.Compos
 	const replaceKey = "eno.azure.io/replace"
 	snap.Replace = cascadeAnnotation(comp, copy, replaceKey) == "true"
 
+	const forceDeletionKey = "eno.azure.io/force-deletion"
+	snap.ForceDeletion = cascadeAnnotation(comp, copy, forceDeletionKey) == "true"
+
 	const deletionStratKey = "eno.azure.io/deletion-strategy"
 	snap.Orphan = strings.EqualFold(cascadeAnnotation(comp, copy, deletionStratKey), "orphan")
 	snap.Orphan = !r.isPatch && strings.EqualFold(cascadeAnnotation(comp, copy, deletionStratKey), "orphan")
@@ -314,6 +317,7 @@ type Snapshot struct {
 	Disable            bool
 	DisableUpdates     bool
 	Replace            bool
+	ForceDeletion      bool
 	Orphan             bool
 	ForegroundDeletion bool
 
diff --git a/internal/resource/resource_test.go b/internal/resource/resource_test.go
index 3c8d8f8f..c8f9675c 100644
--- a/internal/resource/resource_test.go
+++ b/internal/resource/resource_test.go
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ var newResourceTests = []struct {
 					"eno.azure.io/disable-reconciliation": "true",
 					"eno.azure.io/disable-updates": "true",
 					"eno.azure.io/deletion-strategy": "orphan",
+					"eno.azure.io/force-deletion": "true",
 					"eno.azure.io/deletion-group": "0",
 					"eno.azure.io/fail-open": "true",
 					"eno.azure.io/overrides": "[{\"path\":\".self.foo\"}, {\"path\":\".self.bar\", \"condition\": \"false\"}]"
@@ -64,6 +65,7 @@ var newResourceTests = []struct {
 			assert.True(t, r.Replace)
 			assert.True(t, r.Orphan)
 			assert.False(t, r.ForegroundDeletion)
+			assert.True(t, r.ForceDeletion)
 			assert.True(t, *r.FailOpen)
 			assert.Equal(t, 0, *r.deletionGroup)
 			assert.Equal(t, int(250), r.readinessGroup)