EXTERMINATE Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

exterminate

verb

ik-ˈstər-mə-ˌnāt

Definition of exterminate

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

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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 The only flamingo native to North America was exterminated in Florida by the early part of the twentieth century. — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 6 July 2026 This acts as both treatment and prevention; adults are exterminated and the lifecycle is disrupted. — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 6 July 2026 That conversion and conquest crusade brought disease and defeat to native Californians, whose numbers and ways of life would be all but exterminated by the time the United States of America celebrated its first 100 years. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 As the Jim Jacobses and John Deckers were shooting the last elk of Pennsylvania, their western counterparts were doing their part to exterminate the species continent-wide. — Literary Hub, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for exterminate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exterminate

Verb

Tlaib is also a prominent critic of Israel; her rhetoric has been chastised by Jewish colleagues as an antisemitic call for eradicating Jews, a charge the congresswoman and her supporters reject.

— Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
Smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980 and no longer naturally circulates, was once one of the world's deadliest diseases.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of eradicate

Verb

Their efforts have successfully erased half the population from public life and made Afghanistan one of the world’s most dangerous places to be a woman.

— Kara Fox, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
But what frightened me most was not death alone, but the idea of dying before my writings reached the world—that my story would disappear with me, and that my feelings, my memories, my identity, and my human experience would be erased.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of erase

Verb

Some members sought to amend the resolution to call for reforming ICE rather than abolishing it.

— Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 13 Aug. 2026
Hong branded herself as a fighter for the working class, advocated for universal childcare and called to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

— Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of abolish

Verb

Vendors said enforcement sweeps that began earlier this year have threatened their livelihoods, with authorities confiscating vending equipment and, in some cases, destroying it.

— Da Lin, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
One of those, the USS Gerald R Ford, also reported problems earlier this year, from toilets that weren’t working to a laundry fire that briefly stopped combat operations and destroyed some sleeping quarters.

— Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of destroy

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exteriors

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“Exterminate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exterminate. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of exterminate

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