extinct in the wild

[ ik-stingktinthuh-wahyld ]

adjectiveBiology, Ecology.
  1. (of a plant or animal species) having members growing or living only as a naturalized population or in captivity, but having no known members growing or living independently in a natural habitat, as categorized by the IUCN Red List: After observing a herd of Père David deer on a reserve in China, we learned that the species is extinct in the wild.Abbreviation: EW

Origin of extinct in the wild

1
First recorded in 1945–50

Words Nearby extinct in the wild

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024