Word
eradicate
Phoneticserad·i·cate
US/ɪˈɹædəˌkeɪt/
UK/ɪɹˈædɪkˌeɪt/
Definition
v. to get rid of something completely so that it never comes back. You use this for things that are very bad, like diseases or poverty.
v. to destroy or remove something completely; to put an end to something undesirable. Often used in the context of public health, social issues, or pests.
Examples
“The government hopes to eradicate poverty within ten years.”
“Global health organizations worked together for decades to eradicate smallpox through a massive vaccination campaign.”
“While the new policy aims to eradicate corruption within the local police force, critics argue that systemic changes are required to prevent the same patterns from re-emerging.”
Examples
simple
“The government hopes to eradicate poverty within ten years.”
contextual
“Global health organizations worked together for decades to eradicate smallpox through a massive vaccination campaign.”
complex
“While the new policy aims to eradicate corruption within the local police force, critics argue that systemic changes are required to prevent the same patterns from re-emerging.”
Usage
The verb is transitive and requires a direct object.
Pitfall
The disease was eradicated from the world.
The disease was eradicated.
While 'from' is grammatically possible, 'eradicate' itself implies total removal, making 'from the world' redundant in most contexts.
Real-World Examples
“Feral hogs will be nearly impossible to eradicate completely, and the damage they cause isn’t going away either.” “In a bold pledge in his first speech as prime minister, Burnham promised to eradicate rough sleeping in England, allocating an extra £340m of funding over three years.” Etymology
PIE word *wréh₂ds From Middle English eradicaten (“to eradicate”), from eradicat(e) (“eradicated”, past participle of eradicaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin ērādīcātus, the perfect passive participle of ērādīcō (“to uproot, root out; to anihilate, eradicate”), from ē- (“out”) + rādīx (“root”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). See also radish.
From Middle English eradicat(e) (“eradicated”, past participle of eradicaten), used up until Early Modern English, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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