eradicate

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ērādīcātus, past participle of ērādīcō (“uproot”), from ē- (“out”) + rādīx (“root”). Also see: radish.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈɹæd.ɪ.keɪt/

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Verb

eradicate (third-person singular simple present eradicates, present participle eradicating, simple past and past participle eradicated)

1. (transitive) To pull up by the roots; to uproot.
2. (transitive) To destroy completely; to reduce to nothing radically; to put an end to; to extirpate.

   Smallpox was globally eradicated in 1980.

Synonyms

• (to pull up by the roots): root up, uproot
• (to completely destroy): annihilate, exterminate, extirpate
• See also Thesaurus:destroy

Antonyms

• radicate

Related terms

• eradicable
• eradication
• eradicative
• radical
• root

Translations

Further reading

• “eradicate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “eradicate”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• acierated

Italian

Verb

eradicate

1. inflection of eradicare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative
   2. second-person plural imperative

Participle

eradicate

1. feminine plural of eradicato

Latin

Verb

ērādīcāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of ērādīcō