extinct

[ik-stingkt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR extinct ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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having ceased eruption; no longer active: an extinct volcano.

Nearby words

Origin of extinct

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin ex(s)tinctus put out, quenched, past participle of ex(s)tinguere to extinguish

SYNONYMS FOR extinct

1. defunct, gone, vanished. 2. archaic. 3. out.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR extinct ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsnon·ex·tinct, adjectiveun·ex·tinct, adjective

Can be confusedextinct rare scarce

Synonym study

1. See dead.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for extinct

So while the divas are fewer in number in 2014, they are far from extinct.
Mariah Carey Is the Last of the Traditional Divas|Phoebe Robinson|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wild tigers are rare in China, with some varieties now believed to be extinct.
Why Do Chinese Oligarchs Secretly Love Illegal Tiger Meat?|Jake Adelstein|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bringing Them Back to Life Carl Zimmer, National Geographic The revival of an extinct species is no longer a fantasy.
The Week’s Best Longreads for March 23, 2013|David Sessions|March 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And I take liberal Zionism seriously enough to defend it against those who wish to make it extinct.
Why Liberal Zionists Won't Join BDS|Peter Beinart|February 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Twenty-five years later, 11 of those original AmLaw 100 firms are now extinct.
Dewey & LeBoeuf Near Collapse—Are Other White Shoe Law Firms In Peril?|Dan Slater|May 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
From the extinct fire there will come a more beautiful earth, pure and perfect, and destined to be eternal.
Ten Great Religions|James Freeman Clarke
This suborder includes the largest of land mammals, the Elephants, and certain of their extinct allies.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
Let it not be thought that slave catching and selling is now extinct.
Stanley in Africa|James P. Boyd
These are extinct Amphibia with a greatly developed dermal exoskeleton, which is generally limited to the ventral surface.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
If life was not extinct, the fallen gladiator was dragged out to the dead room, and there dispatched.
The Trial of Jesus from a Lawyer's Standpoint, Vol. II (of II)|Walter M. Chandler

British Dictionary definitions for extinct

extinct

adjective

(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

Word Origin for extinct

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

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.

Science definitions for extinct

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.

extinct

adjective

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Origin of extinct

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for extinct

extinct

adjective

Word Origin for extinct

extinct

extinct