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: no longer active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: gone out of use : superseded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

The species is now endangered, extinct on the Australian mainland for three thousand years and besieged on the island that is its last refuge. — John Drake, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

In June, a group of anxious European policy researchers issued Europe 2031, a scenario in which civilization between the Urals and the Atlantic ends up at least functionally extinct. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026

Inside the 400,000-year-old extinct volcanic cinder cone, which is about 40 miles northeast of Flagstaff, are artwork and a naked-eye observatory with tunnels and chambers aligned with solar, lunar and stellar events. — Rebecca 'becca' Dyer, AZCentral.com, 23 July 2026

And people here once spoke now extinct Norn, an Old Norse language. — Literary Hub, 22 July 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: no longer active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