How to Say "to exterminate" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to exterminate” is “exterminar” — use 'exterminar' when referring to the killing or destruction of a large group of living things, especially pests or unwanted organisms..
exterminar
/eks-tehr-mee-NAR//eksteɾmiˈnaɾ/
Examples
Llamaron a un profesional para exterminar las cucarachas.
They called a professional to exterminate the cockroaches.
El veneno es muy fuerte y puede exterminar a toda la colonia de hormigas.
The poison is very strong and can wipe out the entire ant colony.
La guerra amenazaba con exterminar a la población civil.
The war threatened to annihilate the civilian population.
Using 'a' with 'exterminar'
When talking about exterminating groups of people, you must use the word 'a' (the personal 'a') before the group name: 'Exterminaron a los enemigos'. You usually don't use it for bugs.
Perfectly Regular
This verb follows the standard pattern for all -ar verbs. If you know how to conjugate 'hablar,' you know how to conjugate 'exterminar'!
Don't confuse with 'terminar'
Mistake: “Voy a exterminar mi tarea.”
Correction: Voy a terminar mi tarea. (Exterminar means to destroy or kill off entirely, not just to finish a task.)
aniquilar
/ah-nee-kee-lahr//anikiˈlaɾ/
Examples
El ejército logró aniquilar las defensas enemigas.
The army managed to annihilate the enemy defenses.
Una plaga puede aniquilar toda la cosecha en pocos días.
A plague can wipe out the entire harvest in a few days.
El objetivo es aniquilar la pobreza extrema.
The goal is to exterminate extreme poverty.
Easy Regular Patterns
This word follows the standard pattern for verbs ending in -ar, so it doesn't have any surprising spelling changes when you conjugate it.
Action vs. Result
When talking about something being 'annihilated' (the result), use the form 'aniquilado' with the verb 'ser' or 'estar'.
Overusing it for small things
Mistake: “Aniquilé mi juguete.”
Correction: Rompí mi juguete. 'Aniquilar' is very strong; use it for total destruction, not just breaking a toy.
extinguir
eks-teen-GEER/ekstinˈɡiɾ/
Examples
El cambio climático podría extinguir a muchas especies de aves.
Climate change could wipe out many bird species.
Un gran impacto acabó por extinguir a los dinosaurios.
A large impact ended up wiping out the dinosaurs.
No debemos permitir que el odio extinga nuestra humanidad.
We must not allow hatred to exterminate our humanity.
Doing vs. Happening
Use 'extinguir' when something is destroying a species. Use 'extinguirse' (the reflexive form) when the species is simply dying out on its own.
Exterminar vs. Aniquilar
Related Translations
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