Definition

1. Verb:
   • To destroy completely; to remove or eliminate something entirely, as if pulling it out by the roots. This implies a thorough and final removal, often of something negative, such as a disease, a problem, or a system.
   • To kill or destroy on a large scale.

Usage

The verb "eradicate" is transitive and requires a direct object. It is most commonly used in formal, academic, or serious contexts to describe the complete elimination of something undesirable. It is often used in discussions about public health, social issues, and environmental efforts.

Examples

• Verb:
  • Scientists are working to eradicate polio worldwide.
  • The new policy aims to eradicate poverty in the region.
  • We must eradicate invasive species to protect the native ecosystem.

Advanced Usage

• "to be eradicated" (Passive Voice): Used to describe something that has been completely removed.
  • Smallpox was officially eradicated in 1980.
• "efforts to eradicate": A common collocation describing actions taken for complete removal.
  • International efforts to eradicate the disease have been largely successful.

Variants and Related Words

• Eradication (n): The complete destruction or elimination of something.
  • The eradication of the virus is the primary goal.
• Eradicable (adj): Capable of being eradicated.
  • Some diseases are not yet eradicable.

Synonyms

• Eliminate: To completely remove or get rid of.
• Exterminate: To destroy completely, often used for living things like pests.
• Annihilate: To destroy utterly.
• Obliterate: To remove all traces of.

Phrasal Verbs

• Root out: To find and remove something completely. This is a close synonym and shares the "root" metaphor with "eradicate."
  • The new mayor promised to root out corruption in city hall.

Related Idioms

• Wipe off the map: To destroy something so completely it ceases to exist. (Note: This idiom is more extreme and often used in geopolitical contexts.)
  • The general threatened to wipe the enemy stronghold off the map.

Verb

1. destroy completely, as if down to the roots
   • the vestiges of political democracy were soon uprooted root out corruption
2. kill in large numbers
   • the plague wiped out an entire population