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to eradicate

to eradicate

85 6.6
Remove something harmful completely, for example a disease or pest
  • verb
  • /ɪˈrædɪˌkeɪt/
translation icon : erradicar
  • The first goal is to eradicate extreme poverty.
  • eradicate the disease
  • eradicate poverty
  • efforts to eradicate

When you say that you think it's impossible to eradicate Hamas, why is that?

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Examples

  • This will completely eradicate the plague.

  • Kevin: What is the best way, without hurting the environment, to eradicate invasive non-native plants?

    Academic text (2013)
  • Do you think it's possible to eradicate racism from the judicial system?

  • We will eradicate this disease, but before we can do that, we must succeed today, Noah.

  • As such, successfully eradicating the disease could improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

    Academic text (2013)
  • After much bloodshed, we eradicated the disease.

  • Evil, corruption and underhanded dealing must be eradicated from this earth.

  • The substantial cross-border resource transfers necessary to eradicate the most overt forms of poverty are highly unlikely.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Governments around the world must work together to eradicate poverty and improve living standards.

  • We need to develop effective strategies to eradicate the harmful bacteria from our water supply.

Synonyms

to remove
vsto eradicate
1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

is stronger and implies complete destruction of harmful things
to get rid of
vsto eradicate
1.6

To remove or throw away something you do not want

is a more formal sense of fully removing harmful or bad things
to kill
vsto eradicate
682 2.8

Stop something from working or continuing

is used more for ending harmful things completely rather than any stopping
to eliminate
vsto eradicate
  • NSFW
502 3.4

Remove or kill something completely so it is gone

is used especially for destroying harmful or bad things
to wipe out
vsto eradicate
189 4.2

Destroy something so nothing is left

focuses more on destroying harmful or bad targets than pure totality
to erase
vsto eradicate
156 2.2

Remove all traces of something from memory or history

focuses on removing harmful things rather than only deleting traces
to do away with
vsto eradicate
88 3.7

Remove something so it is no longer used

is more about destroying harmful things completely rather than merely ending use
to obliterate
vsto eradicate
71 7.5

To destroy something completely so nothing remains

aims to remove harmful things but not necessarily erase all traces
to annihilate
vsto eradicate
  • NSFW
63 7.5

To destroy completely, often killing many people

focuses on removing harmful things, not only mass destruction
to exterminate
vsto eradicate
  • NSFW
60 6.9

To destroy something completely, often on purpose

is used more for ending harmful things rather than any destruction
to purge
vsto eradicate
49 6.3

To remove unwanted substances, things, or people by cleaning

is more generally about removing harmful things, not a cleansing ritual
to kill off
vsto eradicate
44 4.8

Destroy almost all members of a group, like a type of animal or product

is about removing harmful things in general, not only groups
to uproot
vsto eradicate
38 4.4

To pull a plant out of the ground or force people to leave home

is more about ending harmful things broadly, not only physical pulling
to banish
vsto eradicate
27 6.1

Make a thought or feeling go away so it stops bothering you

is used for removing harmful things broadly, not only emotions or thoughts
to root out
vsto eradicate
21 3.9

Find and completely remove something harmful or hidden

focuses on ending the thing without first searching it out
to expunge
vsto eradicate
21 8.8

To remove all signs of something like a record or memory so it cannot be found

is about ending harmful things more broadly, not just erasing traces
to extinguish
vsto eradicate
21 5.5

End something completely, for example a custom or a debt

is aimed specifically at harmful things, not only ending processes
to demolish
vsto eradicate
15 4.2

Completely destroy an idea, argument, or reputation

is focused on removing harmful things rather than only ruining ideas
to pulverize
vsto eradicate
  • US
15 7.6

To destroy something completely so nothing is left

focuses on ending harmful things rather than physical crushing
to snuff out
vsto eradicate
9 7.7

Put an end to something or to someone's life

is used for harmful things but not only sudden endings
to sweep away
vsto eradicate
1 3.9

To destroy or carry something away completely, for example by water

is used mainly for harmful things, not only clearing everything
to extirpate
vsto eradicate
  • Formal
1 9.9

To destroy something completely, including its root

does not focus on eliminating the root specifically

Antonyms

496 3.4

To keep people and things safe from harm or change

How Complete

to annihilate
  • NSFW
63 7.5
to wipe out
189 4.2
to eradicate
85 6.6
to remove
1.5
to get rid of
1.6

Surface Forms

eradicate infinitive
eradicated past
eradicated past participle
eradicating present participle
eradicates third person singular

Morphology

eradicate = radicate (semi-transparent) = e + radic + ate

The parts reflect Latin combining forms (e- 'out', radic- 'root', -ate) which give the meaning 'root out', but these elements are not clearly productive or familiar to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The word eradicate comes from the Latin parts ex- 'out' and radix 'root', so it originally meant to pull something 'out by the roots', like the English word 'uproot'. That's why to eradicate something today is to remove or destroy it completely.