as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the virtual extermination of the native tribes by the colonizers
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Recent Examples of extermination
Timothy Wong, technical director of MMPC, a pest management company that provides residential and commercial extermination, prevention, and property protection services, prioritizing environmentally friendly, natural pest control solutions.
—
Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 29 May 2026
Though the ideas of modern political Zionism long predate the Holocaust, Israel was established by the world community in response to the unimaginable atrocities and extermination perpetrated by the Nazis, who murdered one out of every three Jews on the planet.
—Michael W. Sonnenfeldt, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
When the ants come marching in, many of us frantically raid our cabinets and garage shelves for any means of immediate extermination.
—Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 25 Apr. 2026
When members of the crew begin to die, the line between spectacle and extermination starts to blur.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
While extinctions are always multi-faceted, the extermination of some species can be almost directly linked to the insatiable appetites of modern humans.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
All of his family except Harris and two of his sisters was deported to the Nazis’ Treblinka extermination camp and ultimately murdered.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Following the animal’s death and diagnosis, 64 rats that were killed through extermination or found dead on the San Diego Zoo property were examined, and two adult rats were found to be infected with lungworms and associated pneumonia.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Besides extermination, these companies also may be able to assist with locating and sealing entry points or making other recommendations for exclusion.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 29 May 2026
Though the ideas of modern political Zionism long predate the Holocaust, Israel was established by the world community in response to the unimaginable atrocities and extermination perpetrated by the Nazis, who murdered one out of every three Jews on the planet.
—Michael W. Sonnenfeldt, The Atlantic, 20 May 2026
When the ants come marching in, many of us frantically raid our cabinets and garage shelves for any means of immediate extermination.
—Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 25 Apr. 2026
When members of the crew begin to die, the line between spectacle and extermination starts to blur.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
While extinctions are always multi-faceted, the extermination of some species can be almost directly linked to the insatiable appetites of modern humans.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
All of his family except Harris and two of his sisters was deported to the Nazis’ Treblinka extermination camp and ultimately murdered.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026
Following the animal’s death and diagnosis, 64 rats that were killed through extermination or found dead on the San Diego Zoo property were examined, and two adult rats were found to be infected with lungworms and associated pneumonia.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2026
Besides extermination, these companies also may be able to assist with locating and sealing entry points or making other recommendations for exclusion.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extermination
Noun
-
Israeli troops occupy more than 10% of Lebanese territory, leaving a trail of destruction that has seen swaths of the country’s south all but razed.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
There are those who would write her off, and perhaps her timidity before America’s facilitation of Gaza’s destruction has earned that dismissal.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Williams views Leap Life—named after his leap-year birthday—as an attempt to commune with the dead, particularly in light of the ongoing devastation in Palestine, Sudan, Haiti, Congo, and Yemen.—
Alex Suskind,
Pitchfork,
17 June 2026
-
Hanuse uses footage of the smallpox survivors in the film that is over 100 years old, underscoring the devastation but also their strength.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
17 June 2026
Noun
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The Tapanuli orangutan struggle to withstand even small increases in death rates and annual losses of more than 1% a year likely put the species on a path toward extinction, Meijaard said.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
-
That would come as a surprise to variola major, the virus that caused smallpox, driven to extinction by a vaccine.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
El Niño can also wreak havoc on the many marine ecosystems that support the world’s fishing industries, including coral reefs and seagrass meadows.—
Dillon Amaya,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
-
From stunting and weakening plant growth to delaying flower production, these 1/10th-inch-long pests can wreak havoc.—
Abby Monteil,
The Spruce,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Research also suggests that recycling construction and demolition waste could meet half of China’s aggregate demand by 2050.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
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The measure would suspend Historic Preservation Board review across the Downtown Historic District for three years, routing decisions — including demolitions — around the board entirely.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The Spurs accrued a 10-point lead at that point, blitzing the Knicks with the type of pressure expected from a team that was a loss away from an offseason filled with sadness.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
-
The Dodgers’ recent bullpen problems persisted in a 6-4 loss Sunday, overshadowing a bounce-back effort from Emmet Sheehan.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extermination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extermination. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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