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
There, something of a muskrat panic resulted in a war of extermination upon the animals starting in the early 1930s.
—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
22 June 2026
Timothy Wong, technical director of MMPC, a pest management company that provides residential and commercial extermination, prevention, and property protection services, prioritizing environmentally friendly, natural pest control solutions.
—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
29 May 2026
Though the ideas of modern political Zionism long predate the Holocaust, Israel was established by the world community in response to the unimaginable atrocities and extermination perpetrated by the Nazis, who murdered one out of every three Jews on the planet.
—
Michael W. Sonnenfeldt,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
When the ants come marching in, many of us frantically raid our cabinets and garage shelves for any means of immediate extermination.
—
Kate Van Pelt,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
When members of the crew begin to die, the line between spectacle and extermination starts to blur.
—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
While extinctions are always multi-faceted, the extermination of some species can be almost directly linked to the insatiable appetites of modern humans.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
All of his family except Harris and two of his sisters was deported to the Nazis’ Treblinka extermination camp and ultimately murdered.
—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Following the animal’s death and diagnosis, 64 rats that were killed through extermination or found dead on the San Diego Zoo property were examined, and two adult rats were found to be infected with lungworms and associated pneumonia.
—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
22 June 2026
Timothy Wong, technical director of MMPC, a pest management company that provides residential and commercial extermination, prevention, and property protection services, prioritizing environmentally friendly, natural pest control solutions.
—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
29 May 2026
Though the ideas of modern political Zionism long predate the Holocaust, Israel was established by the world community in response to the unimaginable atrocities and extermination perpetrated by the Nazis, who murdered one out of every three Jews on the planet.
—
Michael W. Sonnenfeldt,
The Atlantic,
20 May 2026
When the ants come marching in, many of us frantically raid our cabinets and garage shelves for any means of immediate extermination.
—
Kate Van Pelt,
The Spruce,
25 Apr. 2026
When members of the crew begin to die, the line between spectacle and extermination starts to blur.
—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
While extinctions are always multi-faceted, the extermination of some species can be almost directly linked to the insatiable appetites of modern humans.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
All of his family except Harris and two of his sisters was deported to the Nazis’ Treblinka extermination camp and ultimately murdered.
—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Following the animal’s death and diagnosis, 64 rats that were killed through extermination or found dead on the San Diego Zoo property were examined, and two adult rats were found to be infected with lungworms and associated pneumonia.
—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extermination
Noun
-
Rodríguez said authorities have recorded 862 aftershocks since the main quakes and confirmed that 189 buildings collapsed completely nationwide, the vast majority in La Guaira, the coastal state that suffered the worst destruction.
-
Our previous card featured the fiery destruction of the Missouri Pacific depot in 1909.
Noun
-
Following years of economic devastation and underinvestment in public services, the country’s infrastructure – from hospitals to electricity and water – is ill-equipped to deal with a crisis like this.
-
And then there's water damage and the devastation caused by flooding.
Noun
-
Although this is likely an underestimate, due to insufficient data on more than half of North America's firefly species, at least 18 species are officially listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as threatened with extinction.
-
The fossils date to the Paleocene Epoch, the first 10 million years after the end-Cretaceous extinction, during which mammals rapidly diversified as ecosystems slowly recovered.
Noun
-
The beloved southern elephant seal, Neil the Seal, is back in Tasmania, causing havoc yet again and garnering fans through his antics.
-
Those same issues have ships and planes on high alert in the Middle East, and the ongoing conflict across the region is causing havoc for civilian applications like ride-hailing and food delivery.
Noun
-
The Robeson site developer ultimately began demolition on that site over the winter, so the city did not have to carry out receivership there.
-
Project Purple is being built about two years after the demolition of Kingda Ka, the park's iconic launch coaster that stood 456 feet tall before it was removed in early 2025.
Noun
-
The congregation started to arrive at the usual time, about half an hour before Mass on a recent Saturday afternoon, the old church slowly filling with the descendants and caretakers of a place of great serenity but also great loss.
-
Fireflies are facing growing challenges from habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change and light pollution.
Cite this Entry
“Extermination.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extermination. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
