die off
Dwindle to nothing
Die off describes a gradual decline in which members of a group die one by one until few or none remain.
It typically applies to populations rather than individuals: The wolves died off after their prey disappeared.
Species die off from habitat loss, generations die off as time passes, and traditions die off as their practitioners age: Interest in the craft died off with the old-timers.
Progressively becoming smaller
- diminishingBecoming progressively less
- decreaseBecome or make smaller
- reductionMaking something smaller
- dropFall or release
wane · ebbing · tapering · attenuation · shrinkage · contraction · downswing · lessening
At risk of extinction
- mass extinctionLarge-scale species elimination
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- mammothExtinct elephant with curved tusks
- dodoVanished flightless bird
fossil · disappearance · biodiversity loss · species loss · extirpation · last survivor · Cretaceous · Permian
Widespread disease occurrence
- pandemicGlobal disease outbreak
- plagueDeadly epidemic disease
- contagionDisease spread by contact
- outbreakSudden eruption of trouble
infection · virus · pathogen · mortality · blight · infestation · pestilence · mass mortality
Elimination of living spaces
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
- pollutionEnvironmental harm from waste
- overfishingUnsustainable marine harvest
invasive species · coral bleaching · desertification · drought · ecosystem collapse · population crash · ocean acidification · overexploitation
dwindling
Progressively becoming smaller
- diminishingBecoming progressively less
- decreaseBecome or make smaller
- reductionMaking something smaller
drop · wane · ebbing · tapering · attenuation · shrinkage · contraction · downswing · lessening · falling
endangered
At risk of extinction
- mass extinctionLarge-scale species elimination
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- mammothExtinct elephant with curved tusks
dodo · fossil · disappearance · biodiversity loss · species loss · extirpation · last survivor · Cretaceous · Permian · Ice Age
epidemic
Widespread disease occurrence
outbreak · infection · virus · pathogen · mortality · blight · infestation · pestilence · mass mortality · culling
habitat loss
Elimination of living spaces
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
- pollutionEnvironmental harm from waste
overfishing · invasive species · coral bleaching · desertification · drought · ecosystem collapse · population crash · ocean acidification · overexploitation