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 No longer active or burning, as an extinct volcano.

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Synonym Usage

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

See Examples For:

extinct

Another fish unique to the watershed, the Clear Lake splittail, is already extinct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

"The hesperornithiforms retain primitive feather types that may not have been as efficient for insulation as modern plumaceous feathers, and that could explain why they went extinct along with the enantiornithines," says O'Connor.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

New research led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, is reshaping what is known about Miracinonyx trumani, the extinct North American predator commonly called the American cheetah.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

In Cyprus, she discovered a previously unknown species of dwarf elephant and in 1909, while in the Balearics, she discovered the myotragus - an extinct goat-like antelope.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Quentin, for no apparent reason, had gone on and on the day before about extinct birds, so I was up on them.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam