definitions
  • synonyms

extinction

[ ik-stingk-shuh n ]
/ ɪkˈstɪŋk ʃən /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR extinction ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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RELATED WORDS

annihilation, elimination, destruction, obsolescence, death

Nearby words

exterofective, exterritorial, exterritoriality, extima, extinct, extinction, extinctive, extine, extinguish, extinguishant, extinguisher

Origin of extinction

1375–1425; late Middle English extinccio(u)n < Latin ex(s)tinctiōn- (stem of ex(s)tinctiō). See extinct, -ion
Related formsnon·ex·tinc·tion, nounpre·ex·tinc·tion, nounself-ex·tinc·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for extinction

British Dictionary definitions for extinction

extinction

/ (ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən) /

noun

the act of making extinct or the state of being extinct
the act of extinguishing or the state of being extinguished
complete destruction; annihilation
physics reduction of the intensity of radiation as a result of absorption or scattering by matter
astronomy the dimming of light from a celestial body as it passes through an absorbing or scattering medium, such as the earth's atmosphere or interstellar dust
psychol a process in which the frequency or intensity of a learned response is decreased as a result of reinforcement being withdrawnCompare habituation
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 extinction

extinction

n.

early 15c., from Latin extinctionem/exstinctionem (nominative extinctio/exstinctio), noun of action from past participle stem of extinguere/exstinguere (see extinguish). Originally of fires, lights; figurative use, of wiping out a material thing (a debt, a person, a family, etc.) from early 17c.; of species by 1784.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for extinction

extinction

[ ĭk-stĭngk′shən ]

n.

Progressive reduction in the strength of the conditioned response in successive conditioning trials during which only the conditioned stimulus is presented and the unconditioned stimulus is omitted.absorbance
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for extinction

extinction

[ ĭk-stĭngk′shən ]

The fact of being extinct or the process of becoming extinct. See more at background extinction mass extinction.
A progressive decrease in the strength of a conditioned response, often resulting in its elimination, because of withdrawal of a specific stimulus.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for extinction

extinction

The disappearance of a species from the Earth.

Note

The fossil record tells us that 99.9 percent of all species that ever lived are now extinct.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.