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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.

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RELATED WORDS

annihilate, exterminate, expunge, abolish, erase, eliminate, uproot, extinguish, efface, demolish, total, off, abate, liquidate, obliterate, trash, squash, purge, extirpate, scratch

Nearby words

  1. er,
  2. er rif,
  3. era,
  4. eradiate,
  5. eradicable,
  6. eradication,
  7. erasable,
  8. erase,
  9. eraser,
  10. erasing head

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
Related forms

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

British Dictionary definitions for eradicate

eradicate

/ (ɪˈrædɪˌkeɪt) /

verb (tr)

to obliterate; stamp out
to pull or tear up by the roots
Derived Forms

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
Word Origin and History for eradicate

eradicate

v.

early 15c., from Latin eradicatus, past participle of eradicare "to root out" (see eradication). Related: Eradicated; eradicating; eradicable.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper