eradicate

C2 Topic:Cause, Change & Process

US /ɪˈɹæd.ɪ.keɪt/ UK /ɪˈrædɪkeɪt/ See IPA manual

Freq #19679

Meanings

1

verb
to destroy or remove something completely, especially a disease, problem, or harmful practice

The vaccination campaign aims to eradicate the disease worldwide.
2

verb
literal or historical: to pull a plant up by its roots

Workers tried to eradicate the invasive weed before it produced seeds.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to destroy or remove... eliminatewipe outabolish extirpate

2 verb · literal or historical: to... uprootroot out

More annihilate

Opposites

establish preserve perpetuate foster

Word family

Forms eradicable

Derived forms eradicationeradicatoreradicable

Related forms radical root ineradicable

Etymology

From Latin eradicare, 'to root out,' formed from e- or ex-, 'out,' + radix, genitive radicis, 'root.' English first used the verb in its literal sense of pulling up by the roots, then extended it to the complete destruction of diseases, beliefs, practices, and other persistent things.

Topics

Cause, Change & Process

External links

# eradicate

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ɪˈɹæd.ɪ.keɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ɪˈrædɪkeɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 19679

## Meanings
1. to destroy or remove something completely, especially a disease, problem, or harmful practice
2. literal or historical: to pull a plant up by its roots

## Examples
- The vaccination campaign aims to eradicate the disease worldwide.
- Workers tried to eradicate the invasive weed before it produced seeds.

## Synonyms
- eliminate
- extirpate
- abolish
- annihilate
- uproot
- root out

## Antonyms
- establish
- preserve
- perpetuate
- foster

## Derived Forms
- eradication
- eradicator
- eradicable

## Related Forms
- radical
- root
- ineradicable

## Etymology
From Latin eradicare, 'to root out,' formed from e- or ex-, 'out,' + radix, genitive radicis, 'root.' English first used the verb in its literal sense of pulling up by the roots, then extended it to the complete destruction of diseases, beliefs, practices, and other persistent things.

## Topics
- Cause, Change & Process

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