Exterminate vs Devastate - What's the difference?
exterminate | devastate |
To kill all of a population, usually deliberate and especially applied to pests.
(figuratively) To bring a definite end to, finish completely. A rather strong word that implies that what has been ended won't resurface.
To ruin many or all things over a large area, such as most or all buildings of a city, or cities of a region, or trees of a forest.
To destroy a whole collection of related ideas, beliefs, and strongly held opinions.
To break beyond recovery or repair so that the only options are abandonment or the clearing away of useless remains (if any) and starting over.
As verbs the difference between exterminate and devastate
is that exterminate is to kill all of a population, usually deliberate and especially applied to pests while devastate is to ruin many or all things over a large area, such as most or all buildings of a city, or cities of a region, or trees of a forest.exterminate
English
Verb
(exterminat)- We'll use poison to exterminate the rats.
- Even a mass birching at the public school failed to exterminate truancy.