extinction

American  

[ik-stingk-shuhn] / ɪkˈstɪŋk ʃən /

noun

• extinctions
  plural

1. the act of extinguishing.

2. the fact or condition of being extinguished or extinct.

3. suppression; abolition; annihilation.

   the extinction of an army.

4. Biology. the act or process of becoming extinct; a coming to an end or dying out.

   the extinction of a species.

5. Psychology. the reduction or loss of a conditioned response as a result of the absence or withdrawal of reinforcement.

6. Astronomy. the diminution in the intensity of starlight caused by absorption as it passes through the earth's atmosphere or through interstellar dust.

7. Crystallography, Optics. the darkness that results from rotation of a thin section to an angle extinction angle at which plane-polarized light is absorbed by the polarizer.

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extinction British  

/ ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən /

noun

1. the act of making extinct or the state of being extinct

2. the act of extinguishing or the state of being extinguished

3. complete destruction; annihilation

4. physics reduction of the intensity of radiation as a result of absorption or scattering by matter

5. 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

6. psychol a process in which the frequency or intensity of a learned response is decreased as a result of reinforcement being withdrawn Compare habituation

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extinction Scientific  

/ ĭk-stĭngk′shən /

1. The fact of being extinct or the process of becoming extinct.

2. See more at background extinction mass extinction

3. A progressive decrease in the strength of a conditioned response, often resulting in its elimination, because of withdrawal of a specific stimulus.

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extinction Cultural  

1. The disappearance of a species from the Earth.

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Discover More

The fossil record tells us that 99.9 percent of all species that ever lived are now extinct.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonextinction
  noun
• preextinction
  noun
• self-extinction
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• extinctions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of extinction

1375–1425; late Middle English extinccio ( u ) n < Latin ex ( s ) tinctiōn- (stem of ex ( s ) tinctiō ). See extinct, -ion

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Explanation

Extinction is when all members of a particular group die. Most often, we use it to discuss animal species. Many fear that the tiger is headed for extinction because of development and hunting. People are still trying to figure out what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs: many think it was because of an asteroid. When people cut down rain forests, it can lead to the extinction of many species. Although extinction can be natural or unintended, the word can also mean forced, planned killing. Many people refer to the Holocaust as Hitler's attempt to bring about the extinction of the Jews. Languages also face extinction when no one speaks them anymore.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

extinction extinctions

Marine scientist David Obura said the exceptional El Nino pattern building strength in the tropical Pacific could drive vulnerable coral species even closer toward extinction.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

This was the upbeat end-of-the-world movie that audiences needed at a time when the possibility of human extinction feels uncomfortably real.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Not to be outdone, Mr. Hinton has been speculating for a couple of years about the prospect for total human extinction at the hands of AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

We don’t need to just sit back and watch the extinction of any species that doesn’t directly benefit us, while of course recognizing that fishers have to eat too.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

At the writing of this book the ghetto of Alexandra had just been saved from extinction by Bishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, and a group of clergymen.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

According to Catlos, establishing more precise dates for mass extinctions and other major events is essential for understanding how Earth has changed over time.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

Labor took office in 2022, promising no new extinctions under its watch, and it has sought to make nature protection a defining feature of its second term.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Many of the culprits then were the same as those still driving extinctions across the nation today.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

Powerful volcanic eruptions and rapid climate shifts repeatedly reshaped habitats, driving extinctions and opening opportunities for new species to evolve.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

As the extinctions proceeded, the Clovis people switched from mammoths to the smaller, more numerous bison.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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Related Words

• annihilation
• destruction
• elimination
• obsolescence

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