The act of exterminating; total destruction; eradication; excision; as, the extermination of inhabitants or tribes, of error or vice, or of weeds from a field.

synonyms eradication extinction genocide

a category of crime against humanity involving killing on a large scale.

complete annihilation

Term used to refer to the annihilation or total destruction of the Jews. Extermination calls up images of pests or non-human creatures to be killed by use of pesticides.