eradicate

verb erad·i·cate \ i-ˈra-də-ˌkāt \

|Updated on: 7 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: eradicate in a Sentence

Editor's Note: The Root of eradicate is, Literally, Root

Definition of eradicate

eradicated; eradicating

transitive verb

1 : to do away with as completely as if by pulling up by the roots

programs to eradicate illiteracy

2 : to pull up by the roots

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eradicable

play \i-ˈra-di-kə-bəl\ adjective

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eradication

play \i-ˌra-də-ˈkā-shən\ noun

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eradicator

play \i-ˈra-di-ˌkā-tər\ noun

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Examples of eradicate in a Sentence

The disease has now been completely eradicated.
His ambition is to eradicate poverty in his community.

Recent Examples of eradicate from the Web

The al fresco gathering raised more than $10,000 toward RSF's mission to eradicate childhood obesity.

— amber elliott, Houston Chronicle, "Celebrity "Chefs in the Field" cater Recipe for Success's first Sunday supper at Hope Farms," 27 June 2018
Powell himself says that without significant shifts in infrastructure, wildlife poaching will never be eradicated.

— katherine j. wu, Smithsonian, "It’s Pooches vs. Poachers in the Fight Against Wildlife Smugglers," 22 June 2018
Ultimately, eradicating global poverty will require decades of sustained economic growth, and a state capable of delivering high-quality education and health services to all.

— charles kenny and justin sandefur, Vox, "A radical proposal to fight poverty in the developing world: tax the poor more than the rich," 24 May 2018
Once white rot is found in a field, it cannot be eradicated or cured with our current knowledge and materials, and that crop may not be grown again in that field.

— margaret lauterbach, idahostatesman, "Check on the health of your rose bushes and climbers | Idaho Statesman," 4 Apr. 2018
But no one should have to sweat over it — especially considering there are gentle underarm products on the market that are designed specifically for reactive skin types that also work wonders at eradicating odor and keeping wetness at bay.

— kaleigh fasanella, Allure, "The Best Deodorants and Antiperspirants for Sensitive Skin, According to Dermatologists," 5 Feb. 2018
The 41-year-old candidate of the Democratic Center party is calling for a far more potent effort to forcibly eradicate coca and confront the Colombian and Mexican narco-traffickers operating within Colombia’s borders.

— anthony faiola, Washington Post, "Two years after Colombia’s peace accord, the historic pact is in jeopardy," 16 June 2018
The couple later gave more than $1 million to a drive by Rotary International and others to eradicate polio.

— james r. hagerty, WSJ, "Wilton Looney Stuck With Genuine Parts for 80 Years as Employee, CEO, Director Emeritus," 15 June 2018
Plague has been largely eradicated in North America, but is still found naturally in the western U.S.

— anna gunther, CBS News, "Idaho boy recovering from rare case of plague," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eradicate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Root of eradicate is, Literally, Root

Given that eradicate first meant "to pull up by the roots," it's not surprising that the root of eradicate is, in fact, "root." Eradicate, which first turned up in English in the 16th century, comes from eradicatus, the past participle of the Latin verb eradicare. Eradicare, in turn, can be traced back to the Latin word radix, meaning "root" or "radish." Although eradicate began life as a word for literal uprooting, by the mid-17th century it had developed a metaphorical application to removing things the way one might yank an undesirable weed up by the roots. Other descendants of radix in English include radical and radish. Even the word root itself is related; it comes from the same ancient word that gave Latin radix.

Origin and Etymology of eradicate

Latin eradicatus, past participle of eradicare, from e- + radic-, radix root — more at root

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1532

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

eradicate Synonyms

Synonyms

abolish, annihilate, black out, blot out, cancel, clean (up), efface, erase, expunge, exterminate, extirpate, liquidate, obliterate, root (out), rub out, snuff (out), stamp (out), sweep (away), wipe out;

Near Antonyms

conserve, preserve, protect, save;

build, construct, create, fabricate, fashion, forge, form, frame, make, manufacture, shape;

fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renew, renovate, repair, restore, revamp;

dismantle, flatten, mow (down), raze, tear down;

ruin, total, waste, wreck;

blast, blow up, dash, dynamite, smash;

atomize, consume, devour, dissolve, fragment, powder, pulverize, shatter, splinter;

doom, finish, kill, kill off, terminate, zap;

cancel, cut, discard, ditch, eject, excise, expel, jettison, oust, throw out;

Synonym Discussion of eradicate

exterminate, extirpate, eradicate, uproot mean to effect the destruction or abolition of something. exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.