extinct
[ik-stingkt]
- no longer in existence; that has ended or died out: an extinct species of fish.
- no longer in use; obsolete: an extinct custom.
- extinguished; quenched; not burning.
- having ceased eruption; no longer active: an extinct volcano.
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Origin of extinct
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin ex(s)tinctus put out, quenched, past participle of ex(s)tinguere to extinguish
Synonyms
See more synonyms for extinct on Thesaurus.com1. defunct, gone, vanished. 2. archaic. 3. out.
Synonym study
1. See dead.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for extinct
Contemporary Examples
So while the divas are fewer in number in 2014, they are far from extinct.
Wild tigers are rare in China, with some varieties now believed to be extinct.
If Black rhino were to become another creature on the growing list of extinct species, it would be a loss for us all.
Bringing Them Back to Life Carl Zimmer, National Geographic The revival of an extinct species is no longer a fantasy.
And I take liberal Zionism seriously enough to defend it against those who wish to make it extinct.
Historical Examples
An animal (now extinct) which was half horse and half griffin.
The Devil's DictionaryAmbrose Bierce
An extinct pachyderm that flourished when the Pterodactyl was in fashion.
The Devil's DictionaryAmbrose Bierce
Where there is desire, there must be discontent: if we are satisfied with all things, desire is extinct.
Alice, or The Mysteries, CompleteEdward Bulwer-Lytton
Who could be sure that the old megalosauri, and megalichthys were extinct?
The Cruise of the Dry DockT. S. Stribling
He looks exhausted, care-worn, spiritless, (p. 242) extinct.
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863Adam Gurowski
extinct
- (of an animal or plant species) having no living representative; having died out
- quenched or extinguished
- (of a volcano) no longer liable to erupt; inactive
- void or obsoletean extinct political office
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Word Origin
C15: from Latin exstinctus quenched, from exstinguere to extinguish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for extinct
adj.
early 15c., from Latin extinctus/exstinctus, past participle of extinguere/exstinguere (see extinguish). Originally of fires; the sense of the condition of "dying out" of a family or a hereditary title, 1580s; of species by 1768. Cf. extinction.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
extinct
[ĭk-stĭngkt′]
- Having no living members. Species become extinct for many reasons, including climate change, disease, destruction of habitat, local or worldwide natural disasters, and development into new species (speciation). The great majority of species that have ever lived-probably more than 99 percent-are now extinct.
- No longer active or burning, as an extinct volcano.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.