Core action
Destroy, remove, or eliminate something completely.
Vaccination nearly eradicated the disease.
/ɪˈrædɪkeɪt/ · ih-RAD-ih-kaytverb
Destroy, remove, or eliminate something completely.
Use eradicate to express this relationship precisely: destroy, remove, or eliminate something completely.
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
Destroy, remove, or eliminate something completely.
Vaccination nearly eradicated the disease.
Use this expression in its normal grammatical frame so the relationship between the surrounding ideas remains explicit.
The programme aims to eradicate invasive plants.
It tells the reader how to interpret the timing, scope, evidence, contrast, condition, or consequence in the statement.
One reform cannot eradicate every form of bias.
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Vaccination nearly eradicated the disease.
The programme aims to eradicate invasive plants.
One reform cannot eradicate every form of bias.
Eradicate overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
Means destroy, remove, or eliminate something completely.
Means cause a condition, practice, belief, or problem to continue indefinitely.
Means destroy, remove, or eliminate something completely.
Means prevent, restrain, stop, or keep something from being expressed, revealed, or developing.
Means destroy, remove, or eliminate something completely.
Means encourage, support, or contribute to the development, progress, growth, or acceptance of something.
Means destroy, remove, or eliminate something completely.
Means increase, multiply, reproduce, or spread rapidly in number or amount.
The goal is total elimination, not partial control.
Health officials launched a vaccination campaign intended to ___ the virus completely.