Synonym Chooser

How does the verb extirpate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of extirpate are eradicate, exterminate, and uproot. While all these words mean "to effect the destruction or abolition of something," 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 is eradicate a more appropriate choice than extirpate?

Although the words eradicate and extirpate have much in common, eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself.

a campaign to eradicate illiteracy

When would exterminate be a good substitute for extirpate?

While in some cases nearly identical to extirpate, exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.

exterminate cockroaches

When can uproot be used instead of extirpate?

The words uproot and extirpate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 extirpate Wolves were extirpated in California in the 1920s and only recently began to rebound. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025 To extirpate mountain lions from their farms, settlers used a combination of poison, which would have killed not only pumas but other smaller potential predators, and lioneros—experts at hunting down and killing pumas. Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025 The first wolf to be spotted in California since the apex predators were extirpated in the 1920s arrived 13 years ago. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2024 The species flourished after its chief predator, the grizzly, was extirpated there, in the early twentieth century. Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for extirpate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extirpate
Verb
  • Screwworms were eradicated from the US by about 1966.
    Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2025
  • The Department of Justice eradicated a decades-long civil rights case regarding the desegregation of a Louisiana school district.
    Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 2 May 2025
Verb
  • Buxton’s leadoff single in the ninth inning was erased by a double play, and the Twins only scored once in the 10th on Jonah Bride’s sac fly.
    Dan Hayes, New York Times, 2 May 2025
  • Every February, Dresden seeks to commemorate the Allied bombing attack in 1945 that essentially erased the city.
    Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 2 May 2025
Verb
  • The most recent collective bargaining agreement, signed by the players and the league, abolished the college draft and opened the door for every new player to enter the league as a free agent.
    Meg Linehan, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Others, like the Cato Institute, go one step further and suggest FEMA be abolished entirely, replaced by market solutions and state compacts.
    Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • To allow these courts to be destroyed to make pickleball courts is just wrong.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 May 2025
  • Are the Fantastic Four escaping their universe after the planet-devouring villain Galactus destroys their world?
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 2 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Extirpate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extirpate. Accessed 11 May. 2025.

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