eradicate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to remove or destroy utterly; extirpate.
to eradicate smallpox throughout the world.
- Synonyms:
- annihilate, exterminate, uproot, obliterate
-
to erase by rubbing or by means of a chemical solvent.
to eradicate a spot.
-
to pull up by the roots.
to eradicate weeds.
verb
-
to obliterate; stamp out
-
to pull or tear up by the roots
Related Words
See abolish.
Other Word Forms
- eradicable adjective
- eradicably adverb
- eradicant adjective
- eradication noun
- eradicative adjective
- eradicator noun
- noneradicative adjective
- uneradicated adjective
- uneradicative adjective
Etymology
Origin of eradicate
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin ērādīcātus “rooted out” (past participle of ērādīcāre ), equivalent to ē- e- 1 + rādīc- (stem of rādīx ) root 1 + -ātus -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The WHO helped eradicate smallpox, established a framework that led to a dramatic worldwide reduction in tobacco use and helped control numerous pandemics, from Ebola to mpox to Zika.
From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026
"After leading the DA into the GNU, my next chapter must be to eradicate this devastating disease from our shores once and for all," the 49-year-old said.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
But the government’s actions fall short of what experts say is needed to eradicate an illicit industry that has become deeply rooted in Cambodia and has stolen billions of dollars from Americans in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026
As it is, Chalamet seems well-positioned to eradicate voters’ bias against all the young dudes, his charismatic performance keeping you in the corner of “Marty Supreme’s” often repellent narcissist.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2026
The only way to eradicate transformation was to digest the material with an enzyme that, of all things, degraded DNA.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
