extinct

1 of 2

adjective

ex·​tinct ik-ˈstiŋ(k)t  ˈek-ˌstiŋ(k)t 

1

a

: no longer burning

an extinct fire

an extinct hope

b

: no longer active

an extinct volcano

2

: no longer existing

an extinct animal

3

a

: gone out of use : superseded

extinct customs

b

: having no qualified claimant

an extinct title

extinct

2 of 2

verb

extincted; extincting; extincts

transitive verb

archaic

: extinguish

Synonyms of extinct

Adjective

• defunct
• vanished
• gone
• expired
• obsolete

Examples of extinct in a Sentence

Adjective

Many of these old traditions have since become extinct.

a few overgrown ruins are all that remain of that once mighty but now extinct civilization

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In 2026, 60-game starters are nearly extinct — the Utah Mammoth’s Karel Vejmelka was the sole representative of that club last season. — Janson Duench, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Admittedly, Mitchell is fairly creative in sketching the run-up to the dinosaur takeover, which includes ominous signs such as long-extinct plant life taking root overnight. — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026

The sounds of the terror bird (phorusrhacids) was based on a prototype, which was modeled on the larynx of an extinct terror bird species. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

As the Danube waters shrank in Bulgaria, researchers were thrilled to find and recover a jawbone, tusks, a shoulder blade, ribs and other bone fragments belonging to an extinct woolly mammoth buried deep in the sand. — CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin exstinctus, past participle of exstinguere

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for extinct

• distinct
• hoodwinked
• precinct
• succinct
• unlinked
• blinked
• clinked
• inked
• kinked
• linked
• tinct
• winked

Kids Definition

extinct

adjective

ex·​tinct

ik-ˈstiŋ(k)t, 

ˈek-ˌ

1

: no longer active

an extinct volcano

2

: no longer existing

an extinct species of animal

Medical Definition

extinct

adjective

ex·​tinct ik-ˈstiŋ(k)t  ˈek-ˌ 

: no longer existing : lacking living representatives

extinct prehistoric animals