What does exterminated mean?
"Exterminated" is the past tense and past participle of "exterminate," meaning to kill or destroy an entire group, population, species, or thing completely and deliberately. The word implies totality: nothing is left behind. It is most commonly applied to pests and vermin — rats, termites, cockroaches — as well as to diseases that have been wiped out entirely, such as smallpox. When used of human beings, the word takes on a grave, somber weight and is strongly associated with genocide and mass atrocity, so writers use it with care. Derived from the Latin verb exterminare, which originally meant to drive someone beyond one's boundaries, the term has shifted over centuries from banishment to outright destruction, reflecting how completely the idea of removal came to mean annihilation. Its noun form is "extermination," and one who carries it out professionally is an "exterminator."
verb (past tense and past participle of 'exterminate')Killed or destroyed an entire group, population, or species completely; also, eliminated something thoroughly, such as pests or vermin.
- To have killed all members of a group, population, or species; annihilated completely.
- To have gotten rid of or destroyed completely (pests, diseases, unwanted things).
"The pesticide exterminated the termite colony within days."
"Smallpox was declared exterminated worldwide by the end of the twentieth century."
"The farmer exterminated the rats that had infested his grain store."
The word comes from Latin roots meaning to drive out beyond one's boundaries — ancient Romans used it for banishing people, not killing them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exterminated
"Exterminated" derives from the Latin verb exterminare, formed from ex- ('out of') and terminus ('boundary'), originally meaning to drive beyond one's boundaries or banish. It entered English via Old French in the late Middle Ages, initially retaining the sense of expulsion before evolving to mean complete destruction or annihilation. It shares its root with related words such as "termination" and "extermination."
Related word forms
How exterminated is actually used
Formal to neutral register. In modern usage, 'exterminated' carries strong connotations of deliberate, systematic destruction, especially when applied to human populations — it is the standard English word used in reference to genocide. For everyday pest control, it is common but slightly more formal than casual alternatives like 'got rid of.'
Easily confused with exterminated
'Exterminated' means killed off entirely, while 'extirpated' means rooted out or removed, often referring to destroying something in a particular area rather than killing every individual.