least concern

American  

[leest kuhn-surn] / ˈlist kənˈsɜrn /

adjective

Biology, Ecology.

1. (of a plant or animal species) assessed to be thriving, with a distribution or population status that is neither threatened nor near threatened, as categorized by the IUCN Red List: LC

   Among the least concern birds on our favorite watches are the sandhill cranes and the pied-billed grebes.

---

Etymology

Origin of least concern

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

The authors also considered threat levels -- for example "threatened," "endangered" or "least concern," -- for 163,000 species as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2025

"In the 21st Century people shouldn't be worried about food. That should be the least concern," she added.

From BBC • Feb. 9, 2024

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies them as a species of least concern, meaning that they are not threatened or in need of conservation efforts.

From New York Times • May 25, 2023

Australia's saltwater crocodile, the world's largest reptile, is listed in the category of "least concern" about extinction.

From Reuters • Apr. 27, 2022

His greatest reservation was a worry about the loud noise which the fall must create and which presumably would arouse, if not fright, then at least concern on the other side of all the doors.

From "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka