Synonyms of exterminate

exterminate

verb

ik-ˈstər-mə-ˌnāt 

as in to eradicate

to destroy all traces of

hope that the fumigant exterminates the whole colony of cockroaches, for any survivors may be resistant to any poison

Synonyms & Similar Words

• eradicate
• erase
• abolish
• destroy
• obliterate
• annihilate
• expunge
• liquidate
• extirpate
• efface
• wipe out
• cancel
• sweep (away)
• demolish
• kill
• stamp (out)
• clean (up)
• blot out
• shatter
• dismantle
• root (out)
• ruin
• devastate
• snuff (out)
• consume
• discard
• decimate
• ravage
• rub out
• black out
• flatten
• fragment
• devour
• expel
• tear down
• wreck
• dissolve
• waste
• smash
• raze
• mow (down)
• powder
• eject
• terminate
• total
• finish
• oust
• dash
• ditch
• kill off
• pulverize
• atomize
• blow up
• doom
• excise
• blast
• zap
• dynamite
• splinter
• jettison
• throw out
• cut

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• protect
• preserve
• save
• conserve
• create
• build
• make
• construct
• manufacture
• form
• shape
• fabricate
• restore
• forge
• frame
• reconstruct
• rebuild
• repair
• fix
• renew
• patch
• mend
• fashion
• renovate
• recondition
• revamp

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

Recent Examples of exterminate

In the human body, for example, phages typically don’t exterminate their host bacteria. —Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2025

Leering over his shoulder at every stage is his manipulative wife, Ylfa (Toni Collette), who encourages his worst instincts — like the assumption that Creepers are a threat and must therefore be exterminated — while indulging her obsession with sauces. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 15 Feb. 2025

All of Yosemite was on the backs of people who were exterminated. —Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 6 Feb. 2025

The Nazi program was to exterminate all Jews. —Avi Weiss, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2025

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