extinct
No survivors remain
Extinct describes something that no longer exists.
A species becomes extinct when its last member dies: Dinosaurs went extinct millions of years ago.
The word extends to anything that has disappeared entirely—extinct languages, extinct volcanoes (no longer active), extinct customs.
To be extinct is to be gone permanently, beyond recovery.
No longer present
- vanishedDisappeared from sight
- lostUnable to navigate
- disappearedCeased to exist visibly
- wiped outUtterly without remaining energy
died out · perished · no more · obliterated · eradicated · annihilated · terminal · final
Vanished flightless bird
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- mammothsExtinct woolly elephants
- passenger pigeonExtinct migratory North American dove
- Tasmanian tigerExtinct striped marsupial carnivore
thylacine · trilobites · pterosaurs · sabertooth · woolly rhinoceros · great auk · moa · quagga
Preserved ancient organism traces
- JurassicDinosaur-dominated geological period
- CretaceousFinal Mesozoic period
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
- MesozoicAge of Reptiles
Cambrian · Devonian · Carboniferous · Pleistocene · Permian · paleontology · excavation · sediment
At risk of extinction
- threatenedExpressed intent to harm
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
- overhuntingExcessive wildlife killing
- poachingUnlawful wildlife capture
deforestation · climate change · invasive species · biodiversity loss · extirpation · ecosystem collapse · anthropogenic · captive breeding
Inactive but capable
- inactiveNot currently functioning
- quiescentInactive but capable
- calderaCollapsed volcanic summit basin
- craterImpact or volcanic basin
lava · magma · Vesuvius · geothermal · volcanic cone · shield volcano · stratovolcano · hot spot
Tongue no longer spoken natively
- LatinAncient Roman language
- SanskritAncient Indo-Aryan language
- CopticLate Egyptian language
- AramaicAncient Semitic language
revitalization · moribund · documentation · endangered language · Manx · Cornish
gone
No longer present
- vanishedDisappeared from sight
- lostUnable to navigate
- disappearedCeased to exist visibly
wiped out · died out · perished · no more · obliterated · eradicated · annihilated · terminal · final · irrecoverable
dodo
Vanished flightless bird
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- mammothsExtinct woolly elephants
- passenger pigeonExtinct migratory North American dove
Tasmanian tiger · thylacine · trilobites · pterosaurs · sabertooth · woolly rhinoceros · great auk · moa · quagga · mastodon
fossils
Preserved ancient organism traces
- JurassicDinosaur-dominated geological period
- CretaceousFinal Mesozoic period
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
Mesozoic · Cambrian · Devonian · Carboniferous · Pleistocene · Permian · paleontology · excavation · sediment · amber
endangered
At risk of extinction
- threatenedExpressed intent to harm
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
- overhuntingExcessive wildlife killing
poaching · deforestation · climate change · invasive species · biodiversity loss · extirpation · ecosystem collapse · anthropogenic · captive breeding · last survivor
dormant
Inactive but capable
- inactiveNot currently functioning
- quiescentInactive but capable
- calderaCollapsed volcanic summit basin
crater · lava · magma · Vesuvius · geothermal · volcanic cone · shield volcano · stratovolcano · hot spot · tectonic
dead language
Tongue no longer spoken natively
Aramaic · revitalization · moribund · documentation · endangered language · Manx · Cornish
- extinctiondodo, died out, passenger pigeon, Tasmanian tiger, thylacine
- volcanic activityeruption, active, lava, dormant, magma
- volcanoesvolcano, volcanic eruption, Mount Fuji, volcanic eruptions, caldera
- volcano wordsactive, dormant, molten, eruptive, smoldering
- gonegone, absent, away, departed, missing
- wildlife statusendangered, vulnerable, threatened, rare species, critically endangered
- extinct speciesOrganism with no survivors
- extinct languagesTongues no longer spoken
- facing extinctionApproaching complete disappearance
- mass extinctionLarge-scale species elimination
- extinct volcanoMountain with no future eruptions
- mass extinction eventWidespread rapid species loss
extinguish, extinction, extinctions, de-extinction, extinct language, extinct languages