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.

---

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

---

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 No longer active or burning, as an extinct volcano.

---

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; see origin at 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

Extinct relatives of the capybara grew to the size of cows.

From Science Daily • May 28, 2024

Extinct Chinook salmon would be an ecological and recreational loss, especially for Idahoans who rely on these fish, Thurow said.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 15, 2022

Extinct or Alive In Vietnam, host Forrest Galante teams up with a conservation group working to save the largest turtle species in the world from extinction.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2019

"We also both like Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and James Blake quite a lot," adds Skye.

From BBC • Aug. 6, 2019

“Yes. Extinct in Kievan Rus’, in the Northlands, in Ingria and the land of the Karelians, even all the way to the islands of Alba.”

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack