endangered

[ en-deyn-jerd ]

adjective

1. threatened with a danger:

   endangered lives of trapped coal miners.

2. Biology, Ecology. generally perceived as threatened with extinction:

   In 1967, the U.S. government declared the bald eagle endangered, but the national bird’s population recovery since then has been remarkable.

3. Biology, Ecology. (of a threatened plant or animal species) having a very high risk of extinction, second only to the status of critically endangered, as categorized by the IUCN Red List: : EN

   There are more than 3,600 endangered plant species throughout the world.

endangered

/ ɪnˈdeɪndʒəd /

adjective

1. in danger: used esp of animals in danger of extinction

   the giant panda is an endangered species

Other Words From

• unen·dangered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of endangered¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; endanger + -ed ²

Example Sentences

It has a full house of endangered great apes and monkeys, including western lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, drill monkeys and a mustached monkey named Kiki.

From Washington Post

Testing the limits of brown tree snake agility could help design new baffles or other tools to protect endangered birds on Guam, Savidge says.

From Science News

Put it all together and you can see why the Democrats’ chances of holding onto the House look pretty good, even if they do have the most endangered incumbent up in 2020.

From FiveThirtyEight

Other elements found in electronics are considered some of the periodic table’s most endangered.

From Singularity Hub 

These programs include searching for invasive species like the zebra mussels and tracking rare and endangered animals.

From Science News For Students

We need to talk in a different way about how Obama has endangered America.

From The Daily Beast

Botswana has become a haven of sorts for endangered animals.

From The Daily Beast

In a new Republican administration, the EPA might well become an endangered species.

From The Daily Beast

EIA found that some companies are issued licenses to breed endangered animals, including the South China Tiger.

From The Daily Beast

Which brings us to our second question: Why is the Romantic Comedy becoming such an endangered species?

From The Daily Beast

The cubicula were also defaced, their symmetry injured, and their construction endangered by similar imprudent excavations.

From Project Gutenberg

For one minute he even contemplated holding the two up and taking enough to salve his hurt pride and his endangered reputation.

From Project Gutenberg

The woodcuts, fresh and beautiful, are gems of an art now endangered by modern requirements of haste.

From Project Gutenberg

The first man endangered was the lonely officer who sat his horse in front of the line of kicking and plunging mules.

From Project Gutenberg

Sedgwick's success endangered Lee, and, unless Fredericksburg were regained, the battle was lost to the Rebels.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• threatened