eradicate
verb
Simple meaning
Destroy completely, as if down to the roots.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihraduhkaytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪˈɹædəkeɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Destroy completely, as if down to the roots
transitive
To destroy completely; to reduce to nothing radically; to put an end to.
transitive
To pull up by the roots.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Destroy completely, as if down to the roots
Used this way, eradicate is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- decimate , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Destroy
Other combinations
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
To destroy (especially, a large number or complete set of people or things).
To put an end to (something) completely.
To devastate: to reduce or destroy significantly but not completely.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: destroy completely or as if down to the roots
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “eradicate” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.