extinct

American  

[ik-stingkt] / ɪkˈstɪŋkt /

adjective

1. no longer in existence; having ended or died out.

   extinct pre-Colombian societies.

2. Biology, Ecology. (of a plant or animal species) having no living member remaining anywhere, not in the wild, in a naturalized population, nor in captivity, as categorized by the IUCN Red List: EX

   a list of extinct animals that once inhabited the Isle of Man.

   Synonyms:

   gone, defunct

3. no longer in use; obsolete.

   an extinct custom.

   Synonyms:

   archaic

4. extinguished; quenched; not burning.

   evidence of a half dozen extinct campfires.

   Synonyms:

   out

5. Geology. (of a volcano) not having erupted for at least 10,000 years and not expected to erupt again.

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extinct British  

/ ɪkˈstɪŋkt /

adjective

1. (of an animal or plant species) having no living representative; having died out

2. quenched or extinguished

3. (of a volcano) no longer liable to erupt; inactive

4. void or obsolete

   an extinct political office

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extinct Scientific  

/ ĭk-stĭngkt′ /

1. 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.

2. No longer active or burning, as an extinct volcano.

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Related Words

See dead.

Other Word Forms

• nonextinct adjective
• unextinct adjective

Etymology

Origin of extinct

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin ex(s)tinctus, past participle of ex(s)tinguere; extinguish ( def. )

Explanation

Something that no longer exists and has no living representative is extinct. Dinosaurs are extinct. Polar bears may become extinct. Sadly, history teachers who force their students to memorize long lists of dates are in no danger of becoming extinct. You often hear of a species being extinct: there are no living representatives of the species left. But extinct also describes something that has gone out or grown cold, as in a dormant volcano "extinct volcano" or a tobacco pipe whose flame has died out "extinct pipe." That’s because extinct comes from the Latin extinguere/exstinguere for "extinguish." Originally extinct referred to fires that died out (were extinguished). Its meaning grew to encompass a family line and then a species.

Example Sentences

Shore Dock, one of the world's rarest dock species, went extinct from one of three locations it is found after a landslide in Southerndown, Vale of Glamorgan, said Ellyn.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

"Dwarf pansies are definitely one of our very rarest plants, that will not be going extinct anytime soon," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

The cave also contained fossils of an extinct ancestor of the takahē, helping scientists better understand the evolution of this well-known New Zealand bird.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

And if doubles are an endangered species, triples are practically extinct.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Open the kitchen cabinet where the peanut butter was kept and you were face to fossil face with an extinct fox.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli