Synonyms of extirpate

extirpate

verb

ˈek-stər-ˌpāt 

as in to eradicate

to destroy all traces of

the triumph of modern medicine in extirpating certain diseases

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb extirpate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of extirpate are eradicate, exterminate, and uproot. While all these words mean "to effect the destruction or abolition of something," 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 is eradicate a more appropriate choice than extirpate?

Although the words eradicate and extirpate have much in common, eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself.

a campaign to eradicate illiteracy

When would exterminate be a good substitute for extirpate?

While in some cases nearly identical to extirpate, exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.

exterminate cockroaches

When can uproot be used instead of extirpate?

The words uproot and extirpate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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 extirpate

Wildlife officials have collared a dozen gray wolves in Northern California in an effort to better understand and manage the species that has made a comeback in the state after being extirpated a century ago. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025

Wolves were extirpated in California in the 1920s and only recently began to rebound. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025

To extirpate mountain lions from their farms, settlers used a combination of poison, which would have killed not only pumas but other smaller potential predators, and lioneros—experts at hunting down and killing pumas. —Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025

The first wolf to be spotted in California since the apex predators were extirpated in the 1920s arrived 13 years ago. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2024

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