Terminate vs. Exterminate — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Urooj Arif — Updated on April 4, 2024
Terminate refers to bringing something to an end, while exterminate implies completely eradicating or destroying, often with a focus on living organisms.
Difference Between Terminate and Exterminate
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Terminate is a term that implies bringing an action, process, or operation to an end. It can be applied in various contexts, such as employment contracts, projects, or services, indicating a conclusion or cessation. For example, a company may terminate an employee's contract due to various reasons, or a software program might terminate after completing its process. On the other hand, exterminate is used to describe the complete eradication or destruction of pests, diseases, or any entities perceived as undesirable. It often carries a connotation of thoroughness and finality, such as in the extermination of harmful insects or the eradication of a disease.
While terminate can apply to a broad range of situations and does not inherently imply violence or death, exterminate is a much stronger term, often associated with killing or destruction. For instance, terminating a policy does not imply any form of physical harm, whereas exterminating a species suggests its complete removal, often through lethal means.
The usage of terminate can be neutral, referring simply to the end of something without suggesting the manner or implications of that end. In contrast, exterminate carries a negative connotation, implying aggressive action and often, moral or ethical considerations, such as the extermination of pests or the controversial use of the term in historical contexts.
In legal and business contexts, terminate is commonly used to denote the end of agreements, contracts, or employment, focusing on the cessation of relationships or activities. Exterminate, however, is rarely used in these contexts, being more appropriate for discussions about pest control, public health, or discussions about genocide in historical or criminal contexts.
Despite their differences, both terms imply an ending, but the scope, context, and implications of that ending vary significantly. Terminate is about bringing something to a close, often in a controlled and planned manner, while exterminate is about total eradication, usually with a focus on living things and often with implications of finality and destruction.
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Comparison Chart
Connotation
Neutral, end of a process or agreement
Negative, implies destruction or killing
Common Uses
Contracts, employment, processes
Pests, diseases, eradication efforts
Implication
End, conclusion without inherent violence
Complete eradication, often through lethal means
Contexts
Broad, including legal, business, software
More specific, often related to pest control, health
Ethical/Moral Weight
Generally low
High, especially in historical or biological contexts
Compare with Definitions
Terminate
To end a contract or agreement.
The lease was terminated early by mutual agreement.
Exterminate
To remove or destroy utterly.
The company specializes in exterminating bedbugs.
Terminate
To end the existence or operation of something.
The service was terminated due to lack of demand.
Exterminate
To completely destroy or eradicate pests or a group of organisms.
The goal was to exterminate the invasive species threatening the ecosystem.
Terminate
To bring to an end; to conclude.
The company decided to terminate the project due to budget constraints.
Exterminate
To kill off or eliminate completely.
Efforts were made to exterminate the virus in the affected region.
Terminate
To end the employment or service of; to dismiss.
After the merger, several positions were terminated.
Exterminate
To eradicate or wipe out.
Policies were implemented to exterminate corruption within the organization.
Terminate
To conclude an operation or process.
The application will terminate after completing the task.
Exterminate
Destroy completely, as if down to the roots;
The vestiges of political democracy were soon uprooted
Terminate
To bring to an end or halt
"His action terminated the most hopeful period of reform in Prussian history" (Gordon A. Craig).
Exterminate
To get rid of by destroying completely
Exterminated the termites that were weakening the wall.
Terminate
To occur at or form the end of; conclude or finish
A display of fireworks that terminated the festivities.
Exterminate
(transitive) To kill all of (a population of pests or undesirables), usually intentionally.
We'll use poison to exterminate the rats.
Terminate
To discontinue the employment of; dismiss
A company that terminated 300 workers.
Exterminate
To bring a definite end to; finish completely.
The public school failed to exterminate truancy.
Terminate
To murder or assassinate (someone).
Exterminate
To drive out or away; to expel.
They deposed, exterminated, and deprived him of communion.
Terminate
To come to an end; reach a stopping point
The oil pipeline terminates at a shipping port. The negotiations terminated with a celebration.
Exterminate
To destroy utterly; to cut off; to extirpate; to annihilate; to root out; as, to exterminate a colony, a tribe, or a nation; to exterminate error or vice.
To explode and exterminate rank atheism.
Terminate
To form an end or produce a result. Often used with in
"The Peloponnesian war ... terminated in the ruin of the Athenian commonwealth" (Alexander Hamilton).
Exterminate
To eliminate, as unknown quantities.
Terminate
(transitive) To end something, especially when left in an incomplete state.
To terminate a process before its completion
To terminate an effort, or a controversy
Terminate
(transitive) To conclude.
Terminate
(transitive) To set or be a limit or boundary to.
To terminate a surface by a line
Terminate
To kill someone or something.
The enemy must be terminated by any means possible.
Terminate
To end the employment contract of an employee; to fire, lay off.
Terminate
(intransitive) To end, conclude, or cease; to come to an end.
Terminate
(intransitive) Of a mode of transport, to end its journey; or, of a railway line, to reach its terminus.
This train terminates at the next station.
Terminate
(intransitive) To issue or result.
Terminate
Terminated; limited; bounded; ended.
Terminate
Having a definite and clear limit or boundary; having a determinate size, shape or magnitude.
Mountains on the Moon cast shadows that are very dark, terminate and more distinct than those cast by mountains on the Earth.
Terminate
(mathematics) Expressible in a finite number of terms; (of a decimal) not recurring or infinite.
One third is a recurring decimal, but one half is a terminate decimal.
Terminate
To set a term or limit to; to form the extreme point or side of; to bound; to limit; as, to terminate a surface by a line.
Terminate
To put an end to; to make to cease; as, to terminate an effort, or a controversy.
Terminate
Hence, to put the finishing touch to; to bring to completion; to perfect.
During this interval of calm and prosperity, he [Michael Angelo] terminated two figures of slaves, destined for the tomb, in an incomparable style of art.
Terminate
To be limited in space by a point, line, or surface; to stop short; to end; to cease; as, the torrid zone terminates at the tropics.
Terminate
To come to a limit in time; to end; to close.
The wisdom of this world, its designs and efficacy, terminate on zhis side heaven.
Terminate
Bring to an end or halt;
She ended their friendship when she found out that he had once been convicted of a crime
The attack on Poland terminated the relatively peaceful period after WWI
Terminate
Have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical;
The bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed
Your rights stop where you infringe upon the rights of other
My property ends by the bushes
The symphony ends in a pianissimo
Terminate
Be the end of; be the last or concluding part of;
This sad scene ended the movie
Terminate
Terminate the employment of;
The boss fired his secretary today
The company terminated 25% of its workers
Common Curiosities
Can terminate and exterminate be used interchangeably?
No, they cannot. Terminate is used for ending processes or agreements, while exterminate implies completely destroying or killing.
Is exterminate only used for pests?
Primarily, yes, but it can also refer to the eradication of diseases or, metaphorically, to the removal of undesirable elements.
What does it mean to terminate an employee?
Terminating an employee means ending their employment, often due to redundancy, misconduct, or other business reasons.
Can software be exterminated?
Metaphorically, yes, but more commonly, software or processes are said to be terminated or ended.
Is extermination always intentional?
Yes, extermination implies a deliberate effort to completely eradicate or destroy.
What is the ethical implication of using exterminate?
Exterminate carries a heavy ethical weight, especially when referring to the destruction of life, and can evoke historical atrocities.
Can a project be exterminated?
While unusual, this term might be metaphorically used to imply the project was not just ended but completely eradicated from consideration.
Can terminate imply death?
In some contexts, yes, especially in medical or life-support situations, but it's less specific to killing than exterminate.
What does it mean to exterminate a disease?
It means to completely eradicate the disease, so that it no longer exists in any human population worldwide.
Does terminating a contract imply breach?
Not necessarily. Contracts can be terminated by mutual agreement or upon completion of the terms, not just through breach.
Is it ethical to exterminate invasive species?
This is debated, but in many cases, the extermination of invasive species is considered necessary for the health of ecosystems.
Can terminate be used in a positive context?
Yes, for example, when a disease is terminated from a region, or when an unfavorable contract is ended.
What legal implications does terminating an employee have?
It can have various legal implications, including the need for severance, potential claims of wrongful termination, and the need to follow legal and contractual procedures.
Why is exterminate used in historical contexts?
It's often used to describe acts of genocide or attempts to completely eradicate groups of people, highlighting the gravity of such actions.
What's the difference in finality between terminate and exterminate?
Terminate implies an end or conclusion, which might be reversible or temporary. Exterminate implies a permanent and irreversible eradication.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
