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 After wolves were exterminated from the Yellowstone region in the 1920s, the elk population more than doubled, causing significant damage to the area’s grasses, shrubs, and trees. Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025 For reasons that are no longer relevant to the dead, or to the unflinching new Laura Poitras documentary that begins with their murders, the Americans began to exterminate the entire population. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Aug. 2025 This led to some debate among participants about the ethics of exterminating a pregnant nutria. Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 Remember the monkeys in Pittsburgh that Harvard was going to exterminate because Trump had taken away $75,000? Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 3 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exterminate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exterminate
Verb
  • This is the formula—see, believe, create—that has eradicated smallpox, cut deaths from heart disease by more than two thirds, and eliminated lead from gasoline, raising children’s IQs around the world.
    Dr. Tom Frieden, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
  • This explains why some infections are so difficult to eradicate.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Those Padres quickly erased a one-run deficit and eventually won on a walk-off home run by Steve Garvey that remains perhaps the franchise’s greatest moment.
    Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Last week, Reform pledged to abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR), which gives migrants settled status in Britain.
    Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Among 16 to 24-year-olds, 67 percent wanted to abolish compared to 30 percent who would keep the crown.
    Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a five-floor apartment building in the Solomyanskyi district was partially destroyed and caught fire.
    David Brennan, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Mexico built a hydroelectric dam, where these golden barrel cactuses live and in an instant their environment was destroyed and this species was almost wiped out.
    Eyder Peralta, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Exterminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exterminate. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.

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