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
Yet this divide-and-conquer approach, combined with the relentless attacks on civilians, has also entrenched resistance among ordinary Gazans, who now perceive Israel as undertaking a war of extermination.
—
Leila Seurat, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2025
Palestinians and Israeli Jews also came to regard the other side’s actions as fulfillments of their own national nightmares, ethnic cleansing for one and extermination for the other.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Speaking on Holocaust Remembrance Day at UC San Diego’s Holocaust Living History Workshop, Joskowicz highlights how both groups were targeted for extermination, yet only one is widely remembered.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
The Holocaust led to the extermination of 6 million Jews — so recent that some who lived it are still living.
—Seth Lavin, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
Enter Dale, who picks up his second extermination gig for a Hill family member in as many episodes.
—Genevieve Koski, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Leila Seurat, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2025
Palestinians and Israeli Jews also came to regard the other side’s actions as fulfillments of their own national nightmares, ethnic cleansing for one and extermination for the other.
—Hussein Agha, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Speaking on Holocaust Remembrance Day at UC San Diego’s Holocaust Living History Workshop, Joskowicz highlights how both groups were targeted for extermination, yet only one is widely remembered.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
The Holocaust led to the extermination of 6 million Jews — so recent that some who lived it are still living.
—Seth Lavin, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025
Enter Dale, who picks up his second extermination gig for a Hill family member in as many episodes.
—Genevieve Koski, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extermination
Noun
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Critical wildlife habitat may be put at risk for alteration or wholesale destruction.—
Ryan Gellert,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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But tenants have little legal footing to stand on in combating that destruction.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And that's not where the worst of the devastation lies.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, published in three parts in the magazine in 1962 and later as a book, alerted the country to the devastation of the pesticide DDT and is credited with launching the modern environmental movement.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Approximately 44% of global reef-building coral species are at risk of extinction due to climate change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said in its 2024 Red List of Threatened Species.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
3 Sep. 2025
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Barriers like highways, fencing, border walls and other development projects threaten to leave roaming species without the option to expand, ultimately leading to localized extinction.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While not all of the federal government’s tariff revenue is at risk, losing a huge chunk would still create havoc on the deficit and bond market.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
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Steve gently coaxes him back to school, where the film crew is causing havoc.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There is nothing to choose between them, but there was a consistency, clinical edge and an abracadabra touch that made this performance the best Alcaraz has played in a major final, barring that 2024 demolition of Novak Djokovic on Centre Court.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Historic districts come with additional rules and regulations for renovations, construction and demolitions.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Operating losses, management missteps — including a disastrous 2011 Super Bowl ad — and a rapid post-IPO decline in valuation led to the 2013 ouster of Mason as CEO.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
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Many animals have adapted to water scarcity, with seasonal migrations, nocturnal habits and burrowing during the worst of the heat to offset water loss.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extermination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extermination. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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