Synonym Chooser

How does the verb exterminate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of exterminate are eradicate, extirpate, and uproot. While all these words mean "to effect the destruction or abolition of something," exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.

exterminate cockroaches

When is eradicate a more appropriate choice than exterminate?

The meanings of eradicate and exterminate largely overlap; however, eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself.

a campaign to eradicate illiteracy

When is it sensible to use extirpate instead of exterminate?

The words extirpate and exterminate can be used in similar contexts, but extirpate implies extinction of a race, family, species, or sometimes an idea or doctrine by destruction or removal of its means of propagation.

many species have been extirpated from the area

When might uproot be a better fit than exterminate?

In some situations, the words uproot and exterminate are roughly equivalent. However, uproot implies a forcible or violent removal and stresses displacement or dislodgment rather than immediate destruction.

the war uprooted thousands

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exterminate Around 2014, a nasty affliction called Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease began spreading in Florida, killing tens of millions of colonies and nearly exterminating the local population of some species. Benji Jones, Vox, 4 Feb. 2025 Dachau wasn’t created to exterminate Jews: the Nazis opened it in 1933, soon after Hitler took power, and among the first held there were Communists, Social Democrats, and other political opponents. Massimo Calabresi/dachau, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025 In the human body, for example, phages typically don’t exterminate their host bacteria. Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025 Inside the Auschwitz concentration camp complex, the soldiers liberated roughly 7,000 prisoners who had been brutalized by a Nazi regime hell-bent on exterminating the Jewish people. Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 27 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exterminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exterminate
Verb
  • Formed from improved and ultra-stable memory foam, wrapped in high-quality synthetic leather, the ear pads eradicate foam rolling to ensure a more consistent fit and longer service life.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • In my experience, one season of treatment typically eradicates magnolia scale — but 2025 may be an exception.
    Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • This year was a step in the right direction for the program, but that’s all erased if Kevin Willard leaves.
    Baltimore Sun staff, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Its streets were power washed, graffiti was erased, trash was cleared, and the city’s sizable homeless population was relocated.
    Carson Becker, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves (R.) has signed legislation to abolish the state’s income tax.
    Douglas Carswell, National Review, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Democrats who previously demanded that the Senate abolish the filibuster are now furious that the party didn’t use it.
    Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Af Klint edited her own notebooks later in life, rewriting or destroying entire passages and exorcising biographical details.
    Jay Cheshes, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Helicopters dumped water over a burning forest in South Korea Thursday as fire crews struggled to contain the country's worst-ever wildfires, which have killed 28 people, forced at least 37,800 to flee their homes and destroyed thousands of structures and vehicles.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Exterminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exterminate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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