What does exterminate mean?
To exterminate is to destroy something completely, most commonly by killing every member of a group. The word applies naturally to two kinds of objects: pests and vermin — rats, termites, cockroaches — whose elimination is routine and unremarkable, and human populations, where it becomes one of the gravest words in the language, evoking genocide and systematic mass murder. Derived from the Latin verb exterminare, which originally meant to banish or drive beyond the borders, it entered English in the sixteenth century and gradually shifted from expulsion to outright annihilation. Today it appears in contexts ranging from household pest control to historical accounts of atrocity, and its derivatives — extermination, exterminator — are common in both registers. Because of the weight it carries when applied to people, careful writers reserve it for cases of deliberate, thorough destruction rather than casual loss.
verbTo destroy completely, especially to kill all members of a group of people or animals. It can also refer to getting rid of something entirely, such as pests or an unwanted practice.
- To kill all of a group of people or animals; to destroy utterly.
- To get rid of completely; to eliminate (pests, vermin, etc.).
"The city launched a campaign to exterminate the rats infesting its sewers."
"Pest control teams were called in to exterminate the termites that had colonized the old farmhouse."
"The regime sought to exterminate entire communities, leaving nothing behind but ruins and memory."
Exterminate comes from Latin exterminare — literally to drive someone beyond the boundaries of their territory — before it hardened into its modern sense of total destruction.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exterminate
Exterminate derives from the Latin verb exterminare, formed from ex- ('out of') and terminus ('boundary'), originally meaning to drive out or banish beyond one's borders. It passed into English via French in the sixteenth century, initially retaining the sense of expulsion or removal. Over time the meaning intensified to denote complete destruction or killing off, especially of living things. Cognates and related forms include terminate and terminal, which share the same Latin root terminus meaning boundary or limit.
Related word forms
How exterminate is actually used
Exterminate is formal in register and carries strong, grave connotations. When applied to groups of people it evokes genocide, so writers use it with care; when applied to insects or rodents it is neutral and everyday.
Easily confused with exterminate
Exterminate emphasizes killing or destroying living things outright, while extirpate stresses tearing something out by the roots and often applies to customs, beliefs, or diseases as well as creatures.
Eradicate means to uproot or eliminate something (often a problem, disease, or practice) completely, whereas exterminate typically refers to killing large numbers of living beings.