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
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
Karski had managed to visit the Warsaw ghetto and a transit stop for the Bełżec extermination camp.
—Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
By the middle of the 20th century, decades of aggressive hunting, trapping, and mass poisoning had pushed the Lower 48’s gray wolves to the point of near extermination.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
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
Karski had managed to visit the Warsaw ghetto and a transit stop for the Bełżec extermination camp.
—Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026
By the middle of the 20th century, decades of aggressive hunting, trapping, and mass poisoning had pushed the Lower 48’s gray wolves to the point of near extermination.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extermination
Noun
-
GameStop’s $65 billion, half-cash/half-stock bid would heavily dilute shareholders, add risky leverage, and require an unrealistically high valuation multiple, making value destruction more likely than creating an Amazon rival.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
-
The letter warns that these dynamics are not only driving environmental destruction but also weakening Indigenous governance and territorial control.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Arellano was recognized for opinion writing for his columns illuminating the fear and devastation of local immigrants during last summer’s ICE raids.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 May 2026
-
Since launching in Los Angeles in 2021, Bleak Week has consistently supported the notion that well-rendered, artistic tales of devastation play best to rooms full of people who are already primed for heartbreak.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Bald eagles have made a strong recovery in Michigan, growing from the edge of extinction with just 52 breeding pairs in the 1960s to about 900 pairs by 2023, Bridge Michigan reported.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
By the early 1940s, it was gone, widely recognized as the first butterfly in North America driven to extinction by human activity.—
Itay Hod,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Used his size and good wheels to create havoc in the offensive zone, took on all comers and pitched in offensively with double-digit goals.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
-
Now, using currently available AI models, the barriers of entry to wreaking cyber havoc have been lowered.—
Hugh Son,Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The New York Knicks took care of business, to say the least, against the Philadelphia 76ers with another utter demolition on the road in a close-out game.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
The group also hopes this pending purchase protects the house from demolition, something the property owner is pushing for even though a previous request to demolish was denied last year.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
The day after that loss, per team sources, Brunson approached the team before practice about needing to re-shift the collective mindset.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
The Aces, who were coming off a 33-point blowout opening day loss to Phoenix on Saturday, scored 33 of their points in the third quarter and that’s when the wheels fell off for the Sparks.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extermination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extermination. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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