near threatened

American  

[neer thret-nd] / ˈnɪər ˈθrɛt nd /

adjective

Biology, Ecology.

1. (of a plant or animal species) inclined to be threatened with extinction but not yet qualified as vulnerable, which is the entry level of the three categories of threatened species, as categorized by the IUCN Red List: near threatened species are regularly reevaluated, as an amended classification up to the level of vulnerable is always a possibility: NT

   The list of near threatened orthopterous insects includes several cave crickets and swallowtail butterflies.

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Etymology

Origin of near threatened

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

In 2024, the International Union for Conservation of Nature reclassified the species as "near threatened."

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026

In Madagascar, 14 species were newly classified as near threatened and three others were labelled vulnerable.

From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025

Three Antarctic penguin species — emperor penguins, southern rockhopper penguins and macaroni penguins — are listed as vulnerable or near threatened.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2024

“The near threatened category is right for the saiga, because we know that at any time, we could just get large numbers of them dropping dead again,” says Milner-Gulland.

From National Geographic • Dec. 14, 2023

The white rhino is the second-largest land mammal and is classed as "near threatened", according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2022