extermination

noun

Definition of exterminationnext
as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless the virtual extermination of the native tribes by the colonizers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extermination For properties other than single-family homes and duplexes, the statute addresses reasonable provisions for clean and safe common areas along with services such as garbage removal and extermination of certain pests. — Emma Clapp, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 California’s system of water law dates back to the Gold Rush, when the state government promoted the extermination of Native people to make way for white settlers. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 But hope is not lost in Shelley’s reworking of the bleak vision of postapocalypse as terminal and total extermination of life. — Eileen Hunt, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026 Hitler and his Nazis committed the most heinous crimes against humanity, including the extermination of six million Jews, and more than three million non-Jews, because of the Aryan supremacy ideology. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026 The trailer opens with confirmation that Godzilla was not fully destroyed and offers a first look at a new kaiju extermination operation, alongside a mix of new and returning characters. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026 The ongoing tempest includes Camille Sims (Alexandria Riley) having to prevent a Safeguard extermination as the new Head of IT this year, and the revelation of ex-security chief Robert Sims (Common) regarding Bernard (Tim Robbins). — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Decreasing habitat, poaching, and extermination are some of the reasons why cheetahs are endangered. — Michelle Richardson, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 The extermination method should be both practical and humane. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extermination
  1. destruction
  2. devastation
  3. extinction
  4. havoc
  5. demolition
  6. loss
Noun
  • The end of saving money and raising middle-class wages justifies the means, namely, the destruction of immigrant families.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The destruction releases vast stores of carbon, adding to climate change that is already contributing to drought and forest fires across the tropics.
    — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of destruction
Noun
  • The devastation spread on a sunny, calm weekend without warning.
    — Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Most of the new songs wrestle with how to seek pleasure while remaining hyperaware of the devastations of the world, and how that tension can make happiness itself feel like a vice.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of devastation
Noun
  • Every researcher who quits Anthropic to write a viral letter about extinction is casting himself, in the drama running in his own head, as Oppenheimer walking away from the bomb.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In a world where AI and algorithms are trumpeting our extinction on a daily basis, Wildwood kicks the conversation in entirely the other direction.
    — Bridget Arsenault, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of extinction
Noun
  • The Misfits Complementing spring’s embrace of graphic havoc is an intriguing offness of fit, as seen at Jil Sander, Givenchy, and Lii.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Deleting a second has never previously been attempted and could create havoc in today’s digitally time-stamped world.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of havoc
Noun
  • Over the past several months, Israel has carried out large-scale demolitions in villages that its troops occupy.
    — Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • City leaders led another round of demolition at South Fulton's Camelot Condominiums on Friday.
    — La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of demolition
Noun
  • If the answer is yes, the efficiency gain may be a competitive loss in disguise.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The British Antarctic Survey researchers emphasize that future losses could be exacerbated if emissions are not reduced.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of loss

Browse Nearby Words

exterminating
extermination
exterminations
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Extermination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extermination. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All