eradicate

[ ih-rad-i-keyt ]

/ ɪˈræd ɪˌkeɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR eradicate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), e·rad·i·cat·ed, e·rad·i·cat·ing.

to remove or destroy utterly; extirpate: to eradicate smallpox throughout the world.

to erase by rubbing or by means of a chemical solvent: to eradicate a spot.

to pull up by the roots: to eradicate weeds.

Nearby words

er, er rif, era, eradiate, eradicable, eradicate, erase, eraser, erasing head, erasion, erasistratus

Origin of eradicate

1555–65; < Latin ērādīcātus rooted out (past participle of ērādīcāre), equivalent to ē- e-¹ + rādīc- (stem of rādīx) root¹ + -ātus -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR eradicate

1 obliterate, uproot, exterminate, annihilate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR eradicate ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

e·rad·i·cant

[ih-rad-i-kuhnt] /ɪˈræd ɪ kənt/, adjective, noune·rad·i·ca·tion, noune·rad·i·ca·tive, adjectivee·rad·i·ca·tor, noun

non·e·rad·i·ca·tive, adjectiveun·e·rad·i·cat·ed, adjectiveun·e·rad·i·ca·tive, adjective

Synonym study

1. See abolish.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for eradicate

We need Obama to follow through on his promise to eradicate it.
The West’s Female-Genital Mutilation Wake-Up Call|Charlotte Lytton|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It might take us centuries to eradicate the sexism that powers the harassment of women on a cultural level.
Will the Internet Ever Be Safe for Women?|Samantha Allen|August 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
First impressions are tough to eradicate—especially in the cutthroat world of Hollywood.
Brooklyn Decker on Her ‘Horrible’ Modeling Experiences, Marriage, and Cracking Hollywood|Marlow Stern|April 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Erdogan had announced the move in a speech on Thursday, vowing to “eradicate Twitter.”
Turkey’s Useless Twitter Ban|Thomas Seibert|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“We will eradicate Twitter”, he said during a campaign speech on Thursday.
Turkey’s Useless Twitter Ban|Thomas Seibert|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His skin was so sunbaked as to have changed constitutionally; nothing could ever eradicate that tan.
The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu|Sax Rohmer
We'll have to walk home, unless you two want to wait until I can ride back with Eradicate, and come back on my motor cycle.
Tom Swift and his Electric Runabout|Victor Appleton
But all would be well, if we could eradicate abuses and bring out our strength.
Mohun, or, The Last Days of Lee and his Paladins|John Esten Cooke
He may, indeed, give up his fatal indulgence; but he has planted the seeds of disease in his body, and no art can eradicate them.
A Vindication of England's Policy with Regard to the Opium Trade|Charles Reginald Haines
If you want to eradicate disease, you must stamp out the conditions that breed it.
Born Again|Alfred Lawson

British Dictionary definitions for eradicate

eradicate

/ (ɪˈrædɪˌkeɪt) /

verb (tr)

to obliterate; stamp out

to pull or tear up by the roots

Derived Forms

eradicable, adjectiveeradicably, adverberadication, nouneradicative, adjective

eradicator, noun

Word Origin for eradicate

C16: from Latin ērādīcāre to uproot, from ex- 1 + rādīx root

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012