die out
Fade to nothing
Die out means to disappear completely over time, typically through gradual decline rather than sudden destruction.
Species die out when their last members perish: Dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago.
Customs, languages, and traditions also die out as fewer people practice them: The dialect is dying out as older speakers pass away.
Decrease gradually over time
taper off · ebb · subside · shrink · wither · atrophy · decrease · lessen
No longer existing
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
- populationAll inhabitants combined
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
biodiversity · conservation · threatened · survival · breeding · decline · disappearance · remnant
Custom passed through generations
- customHabitual group practice
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
- languageSystem of symbolic communication
- dialectRegional language variety
craft · skill · knowledge · folklore · ritual · heritage · tribe · indigenous
No longer in use
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- archaicBelonging to earlier times
- supersededReplaced by something newer
replaced · defunct · abandoned · discontinued · forgotten · disused · retired · old-fashioned
dwindle
Decrease gradually over time
decline · taper off · ebb · subside · shrink · wither · atrophy · decrease · lessen · trail off
extinct
No longer existing
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
- speciesFinest taxonomic rank
- populationAll inhabitants combined
habitat loss · biodiversity · conservation · threatened · survival · breeding · decline · disappearance · remnant · last
tradition
Custom passed through generations
- customHabitual group practice
- practiceRepeated work toward mastery
- languageSystem of symbolic communication
dialect · craft · skill · knowledge · folklore · ritual · heritage · tribe · indigenous · ancestral
outdated
No longer in use
- outmodedNo longer in fashion
- antiquatedOld and outdated
- archaicBelonging to earlier times
superseded · replaced · defunct · abandoned · discontinued · forgotten · disused · retired · old-fashioned · bygone