Definition

1. Verb:
   • To destroy completely, as if down to the roots; to eliminate entirely: This meaning emphasizes total annihilation, leaving no trace or possibility of return. It often implies a systematic and thorough process.
   • To kill on a large scale; to kill en masse: This meaning focuses on the killing of a large number of people or organisms, often as part of a deliberate campaign.

Usage and Examples

• To destroy completely:

  • The government launched a campaign to exterminate the invasive insect species.
  • The goal was not just to defeat the enemy but to exterminate their ideology completely.

• To kill on a large scale:

  • The regime sought to exterminate all political dissidents.
  • Using poison in the warren was a brutal way to exterminate the rabbits.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "Exterminate" vs. "Destroy": While "destroy" can mean to damage severely, "exterminate" carries a stronger connotation of complete eradication, often of living things. You can destroy a building, but you exterminate a population or pest.
• Systematic Action: The word often implies an organized, deliberate effort, not a random or spontaneous act.
  • The program was designed to systematically exterminate the disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Variants and Related Words

• Extermination (n): The act of exterminating; complete destruction.
  • The extermination of the pests took several months.
• Exterminator (n): A person or thing that exterminates, especially a person whose job is to destroy pests.
  • We had to call an exterminator for the termite problem.

Synonyms

• Annihilate: To destroy utterly.
• Eradicate: To remove or destroy completely.
• Extirpate: To root out and destroy completely (formal).
• Wipe out: To destroy completely (informal).

Antonyms

• Protect: To keep safe from harm.
• Preserve: To maintain in its original or existing state.
• Save: To rescue from harm or danger.

Related Phrases and Contexts

• "Exterminate with extreme prejudice": A formal or euphemistic phrase, sometimes used in military or bureaucratic contexts, meaning to eliminate utterly and without hesitation.
• Pest Control Context: In everyday use, "exterminate" is commonly associated with the professional elimination of rodents, insects, or other pests.
  • The company's slogan is "We exterminate your pest problems."

Verb

1. destroy completely, as if down to the roots
   • the vestiges of political democracy were soon uprooted root out corruption
2. kill en masse; kill on a large scale; kill many
   • Hitler wanted to exterminate the Jews, Gypsies, Communists, and homosexuals of Europe