Linux Pocket Guide, 2nd Edition

Name

rmdir — stdin  stdout  - file  -- opt  --help  --version

Synopsis

rmdir [options] directories

The rmdir (remove directory) command deletes one or more empty directories you name:

$ rmdir /tmp/junk

Useful options

-p	If you supply a directory path (not just a simple directory name), delete not only the given directory, but the specified parent directories automatically, all of which must be empty. So rmdir -p /one/two/three will delete not only /one/two/three, but also /one/two and /one.

To delete a nonempty directory and its contents, use (carefully) rm -r directory. Use rm -ri to delete interactively, or rm -rf to annihilate without any error messages or confirmation.