Vocabulary in context
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Eliminate
To remove or get rid of something completely; to render something no longer present or applicable.
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Imagine This
Imagine a detective at a crowded scene, carefully crossing out every clue that doesn’t fit the evidence until only the correct clues remain.
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Sounds Like
ih-LIM-uh-nayt
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Looks Like
looks like: visually resembles 'limit' in spelling and ends with -ate, hinting at its action of reduction
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Remember This
Eliminate emphasizes thorough removal, not merely hiding or ignoring something. It also appears in tests as the process of removing wrong answer choices.
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Other Forms
eliminationnoun
eliminableadjective
eliminatornoun
eliminatedadjective
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Note
Difference from 'exclude' (not including) and 'delete' (digital removal) varies by context. In math or logic, 'eliminate' means to remove possibilities or candidates.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The company announced plans to eliminate wasteful spending.
- In multiple-choice questions, students are advised to eliminate obviously wrong answers first.
Synonyms
removeeradicateeraseexpungepurge
Antonyms
retainkeeppreserve
Etymology
From Latin eliminare, formed from ex 'out' + limen 'threshold'; the sense is to push something out of the threshold, i.e., to remove.
Mnemonic
Eli min ate: imagine Eli gobbling the wrong choices one by one until only the correct option remains.
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Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Eradicate
verbTo remove or destroy completely, especially something harmful or unwanted, by rooting it out or eliminating it entirely.
Expunge
verbTo erase or remove completely; to blot out or obliterate, especially a record, memory, or evidence.
Abolish
verbTo formally end or repeal a system, practice, or institution; to officially put an end to something established.
Abandon
verbTo give up completely, to desert or leave behind, or to relinquish a claim, plan, or responsibility.
Abate
verbTo decrease in amount or intensity; to reduce or end something.
Abridge
verbTo shorten (a text, speech, or other work) by omitting parts; to condense.
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