Adjacent Words

Eradicate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ERAD'ICATE, v.t. [L. eradico, from radix, root.]
1. To pull up the roots, or by the roots. Hence, to destroy anything that grows; to extirpate; to destroy the roots, so that the plant will not be reproduced; as, to eradicate weeds.
2. To destroy thoroughly; to extirpate; as, to eradicate errors, or false principles, or vice or disease.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: kill in large numbers; "the plague wiped out an entire population" [syn: eliminate, annihilate, extinguish, eradicate, wipe out, decimate, carry off]
2: destroy completely, as if down to the roots; "the vestiges of political democracy were soon uprooted" "root out corruption" [syn: uproot, eradicate, extirpate, root out, exterminate]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (-cated; -cating) Etymology: Latin eradicatus, past participle of eradicare, from e- + radic-, radix root — more at root Date: 1532 1. to pull up by the roots 2. to do away with as completely as if by pulling up by the roots <programs to eradicate illiteracy> Synonyms: see exterminate • eradicable adjective • eradication noun • eradicator noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. root out; destroy completely; get rid of. Derivatives: eradicable adj. eradication n. eradicator n. Etymology: ME f. L eradicare tear up by the roots (as E-, radix -icis root)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Eradicate E*rad"i*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Eradicated; p. pr. & vb. n. Eradicating.] [L. eradicatus, p. p. of eradicare to eradicate; e out + radix, radicis, root. See Radical.] 1. To pluck up by the roots; to root up; as, an oak tree eradicated. 2. To root out; to destroy utterly; to extirpate; as, to eradicate diseases, or errors. This, although now an old an inveterate evil, might be eradicated by vigorous treatment. --Southey. Syn: To extirpate; root out; exterminate; destroy; annihilate.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(eradicates, eradicating, eradicated) To eradicate something means to get rid of it completely. (FORMAL) They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus... If tedious tasks could be eradicated, the world would be much better place. = eliminate VERB: V n, V n • eradication He is seen as having made a significant contribution towards the eradication of corruption. N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Extirpate, uproot, root out, pull up by the roots. 2. Destory, exterminate, annihilate.

Moby Thesaurus

abate, abolish, abscind, abstract, amputate, annihilate, avulse, ban, bar, blot, bob, cast off, cast out, chuck, clear, clear away, clear out, clear the decks, clip, crop, cull, cut, cut away, cut off, cut out, deport, deracinate, dig out, dig up, disentangle, dispose of, dock, draw, draw out, dredge, dredge up, eject, elide, eliminate, enucleate, evolve, evulse, excavate, except, excise, exclude, exile, expatriate, expel, exsect, exterminate, extinguish, extirpate, extract, extricate, get out, get quit of, get rid of, get shut of, gouge out, grub up, isolate, knock off, liquidate, lop, mine, mutilate, nip, outlaw, pare, peel, pick out, pluck out, pluck up, prune, pull, pull out, pull up, purge, quarry, rake out, remove, rip out, root out, root up, rule out, set apart, set aside, shave, shear, stamp out, strike off, strike out, strip, strip off, sweep away, take off, take out, tear out, throw over, throw overboard, truncate, unearth, unravel, uproot, weed out, wipe out, withdraw, wrest out