eradicate

verb

erad·​i·​cate i-ˈra-də-ˌkāt 

eradicated; eradicating

transitive verb

1

: to do away with as completely as if by pulling up by the roots

programs to eradicate illiteracy

2

: to pull up by the roots

eradicable

i-ˈra-di-kə-bəl 

adjective

eradication

i-ˌra-də-ˈkā-shən 

noun

eradicator

i-ˈra-di-ˌkā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

The Root of Eradicate Is, Literally, Root

Given that eradicate first meant "to pull up by the roots," it's not surprising that the root of eradicate means, in fact, "root." Eradicate, which first turned up in English in the 16th century, comes from eradicatus, the past participle of the Latin verb eradicare. Eradicare, in turn, can be traced back to the Latin word radix, meaning "root" or "radish." Although eradicate began life as a word for literal uprooting, by the mid-17th century it had developed a metaphorical application to removing things the way one might yank an undesirable weed up by the roots. Other descendants of radix in English include radical and radish. Even the word root itself is related; it comes from the same ancient word that gave Latin radix.

Synonyms

• abolish
• annihilate
• black out
• blot out
• cancel
• clean (up)
• efface
• erase
• expunge
• exterminate
• extirpate
• liquidate
• obliterate
• root (out)
• rub out
• snuff (out)
• stamp (out)
• sweep (away)
• wipe out

Choose the Right Synonym for eradicate

exterminate, extirpate, eradicate, uproot mean to effect the destruction or abolition of something.

exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.

exterminate cockroaches

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

eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself.

a campaign to eradicate illiteracy

uproot implies a forcible or violent removal and stresses displacement or dislodgment rather than immediate destruction.

the war uprooted thousands

Examples of eradicate in a Sentence

The disease has now been completely eradicated.

His ambition is to eradicate poverty in his community.

Recent Examples on the Web

On this day in 1979: Scientists declared that smallpox had been eradicated about a dozen years after the World Health Organization intensified its vaccination push and prior requirements in many countries in the Americas and Europe. —Mark Jones, The Arizona Republic, 9 Dec. 2024

In the 1950s, an ambitious international campaign was launched to eradicate the insect in the north and center of the continent. —Geraldine Castro, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2024

Surveillance to find the next pandemic Most years, the deadliest infectious disease in the world is tuberculosis, a brutal bacterium that’s also frustratingly expensive to eradicate (which is why none of GiveWell’s top charities target it). —Dylan Matthews, Vox, 3 Dec. 2024

Disruptions to health care services and changes in migration travel disruptions were cited as likely contributors to the increase, but the trend highlights the difficulty in eradicating the illness that has blighted societies for centuries. —Tom Howarth, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin eradicatus, past participle of eradicare, from e- + radic-, radix root — more at root

First Known Use

1532, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

eradicate

verb

erad·​i·​cate i-ˈrad-ə-ˌkāt 

eradicated; eradicating

: to remove by or as if by uprooting : eliminate, destroy

eradicate weeds

eradicating a disease

eradication

-ˌrad-ə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

Etymology

from Latin eradicatus, past participle of eradicare "to root out, pull up by the roots," from e-, ex- "out, forth" and radic-, radix "root" — related to radical, radish see Word History at radical