eradication

American  

[ih-rad-i-key-shuhn] / ɪˌræd ɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

eradications plural

1. the complete removal, destruction, or erasure of something.

   While I don't expect the eradication of poverty, I think that these social programs will have some positive impact.

   Permanent eradication of an invasive species is time-consuming and often expensive.

2. the act or process of pulling or digging up a plant by the roots.

   Two other cocaine-producing nations have avoided use of chemical herbicides on coca crops, preferring manual eradication instead.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• eradications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of eradication

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin ērādīcātiōn-, stem of ērādīcātiō, from ērādīcāre “to root out”; see eradicate ( def. )

Explanation

When people talk about the eradication of something, they are referring to its total destruction. Imagine a movie villain destroying a planet with a massive laser beam and you'll have the right idea. If a gardener's goal is the eradication of every single weed in his back yard, he might start by uprooting dandelions. Fittingly, the root of eradication is the Latin word for "uproot," ērādīcāre. The eradication of anything, whether it's disease, poverty, war, or weeds, involves removing every last trace of it, right down to the roots.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eradication eradications

He referred to a 10-point plan that Caribbean nations have put to European nations, including international debt cancellation, as well as support for healthcare and illiteracy eradication.

From Barron's ● May 28, 2026

The deal targets the prevention and treatment of HIV/Aids, malaria, and tuberculosis, maternal care, polio eradication and infectious disease outbreak response and preparedness.

From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025

Plan Colombia helped the economy and reduced violence overall, but it also displaced large numbers of people, and the drug eradication program was an environmental disaster.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2025

I do, I say, relating to the song’s sense of dread and eradication.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2025

She saw more of me than any other student and we shared a love of germ eradication.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

There have been successful local disease eradications, but they often came at a price.

From Nature ● Oct. 14, 2019

If eradications in general are hard, eradications on inhabited islands are really hard.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 1, 2017

And whereas most rat eradications so far have targeted remote, uninhabited islands, the Galapagos is home to some 30,000 people and receives around 180,000 visitors each year.

From Nature ● May 15, 2013

Parks Canada's upcoming eradications mark the first time rodenticide will be aerially applied in a forested North American ecosystem.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 8, 2012

History proves that persecution never triumphs in its attempted eradications.

From Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce by Billings, E. R.

Related Words

• destruction
• elimination