no longer in existence; having ended or died out: extinct North American Indian tribes.
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: a list of extinct animals that once inhabited the Isle of Man.Abbreviation: EX
no longer in use; obsolete: an extinct custom.
extinguished; quenched; not burning: evidence of a half dozen extinct campfires.
having ceased eruption; no longer active: an extinct volcano.
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
SYNONYMS FOR extinct
1 defunct, gone, vanished.
3 archaic.
4 out.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR extinct ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for extinct
1. See dead.
OTHER WORDS FROM extinct
non·ex·tinct,adjectiveun·ex·tinct,adjective
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH extinct
extinct , rare, scarce
Words nearby extinct
exteroceptive, exteroceptor, exterofective, exterritorial, extima, extinct, extinct in the wild, extinction, extinctive, extine, extinguish
The skull comes from an extinct animal, Crocodylus checchiai.
American crocs seem to descend from kin that crossed the Atlantic|Carolyn Wilke|August 25, 2020|Science News For Students
Next, the scientists combined eggshell data with what’s known about the family trees of extinct and living egg-laying animals.
Early dinosaurs may have laid soft-shelled eggs|Jack J. Lee|August 3, 2020|Science News For Students
New analyses of a roughly 7-million-year old skull from the extinct Crocodylus checchiai suggest that crocodiles journeyed from Africa to the Americas millions of years ago, researchers report July 23 in Scientific Reports.
An ancient skull hints crocodiles swam from Africa to the Americas|Carolyn Wilke|July 23, 2020|Science News
Combining this and other eggshell data with the evolutionary relationships of extinct and living egg-laying animals, the researchers calculated the most likely scenario for dinosaur egg evolution.
Fossil discoveries suggest the earliest dinosaurs laid soft-shelled eggs|Jack J. Lee|June 24, 2020|Science News
It is not even guaranteed to produce more species, since evolution can occur in a single lineage and this can go extinct at any time.
Evolution: Why It Seems to Have a Direction and What to Expect Next|Matthew Wills|June 10, 2020|Singularity Hub
So while the divas are fewer in number in 2014, they are far from extinct.
Mariah Carey Is the Last of the Traditional Divas|Phoebe Robinson|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wild tigers are rare in China, with some varieties now believed to be extinct.
Why Do Chinese Oligarchs Secretly Love Illegal Tiger Meat?|Jake Adelstein|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bringing Them Back to Life Carl Zimmer, National Geographic The revival of an extinct species is no longer a fantasy.
The Week’s Best Longreads for March 23, 2013|David Sessions|March 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And I take liberal Zionism seriously enough to defend it against those who wish to make it extinct.
Why Liberal Zionists Won't Join BDS|Peter Beinart|February 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Twenty-five years later, 11 of those original AmLaw 100 firms are now extinct.
Dewey & LeBoeuf Near Collapse—Are Other White Shoe Law Firms In Peril?|Dan Slater|May 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
From the extinct fire there will come a more beautiful earth, pure and perfect, and destined to be eternal.
Ten Great Religions|James Freeman Clarke
This suborder includes the largest of land mammals, the Elephants, and certain of their extinct allies.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
Let it not be thought that slave catching and selling is now extinct.
Stanley in Africa|James P. Boyd
These are extinct Amphibia with a greatly developed dermal exoskeleton, which is generally limited to the ventral surface.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
If life was not extinct, the fallen gladiator was dragged out to the dead room, and there dispatched.
The Trial of Jesus from a Lawyer's Standpoint, Vol. II (of II)|Walter M. Chandler
British Dictionary definitions for extinct
extinct
/ (ɪkˈstɪŋkt) /
adjective
(of an animal or plant species) having no living representative; having died out
quenched or extinguished
(of a volcano) no longer liable to erupt; inactive
void or obsoletean extinct political office
Word Origin for extinct
C15: from Latin exstinctus quenched, from exstinguere to extinguish
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.
No longer active or burning, as an extinct volcano.