extinction

noun

ex·​tinc·​tion ik-ˈstiŋ(k)-shən 

plural extinctions

1

a

: the act of making extinct or causing to be extinguished

gradual extinction of the national debt

b

: the condition or fact of being extinct

or : the process of becoming extinct

attempting to save a species from extinction

… at least 17 species of the island's largest mammals, birds, and reptiles were lost in a wave of extinctions that occurred about 1,000 years ago.

—Pamela S. Cubberly

Now, more than 40 percent of the world's 7,000 or so languages are thought to be at risk of extinction, some with just a handful of elderly native speakers left.

—Benjamin Plackett

see also mass extinction

2

: the process of eliminating or reducing a conditioned (see conditioned sense 2) response by not reinforcing it

When a rat in a Skinner box presses a lever, a tone sounds momentarily, followed shortly by delivery of food. … After the animal has been conditioned in this way, the experimenter begins extinction, so that when the rat presses the lever neither the tone nor the food appears.

—Rita L. Atkinson et al.

Synonyms

• annihilation
• decimation
• demolishment
• demolition
• desolation
• destruction
• devastation
• extermination
• havoc
• loss
• mincemeat
• obliteration
• ruin
• ruination
• wastage
• wreckage

Examples of extinction in a Sentence

the extinction of all life in the region

the extinction of many old traditions

Mass extinctions of prehistoric animals are known to have occurred.

Recent Examples on the Web

For the first time, scientists have photographed a large, elusive rat that’s on the brink of extinction. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023

In fact, humans may have been responsible for the sluggish animal’s ultimate extinction. —Donna Sarkar, Discover Magazine, 17 Nov. 2023

The executive order also contains some provisions that will please the A.I. ethics crowd — a group of activists and researchers who worry about near-term harms from A.I., such as bias and discrimination, and who think that long-term fears of A.I. extinction are overblown. —Kevin Roose, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2023

All of the above? Modeling these impacts, combined with data on the pattern of extinctions, has led to various opinions on what proved decisive regarding the extermination of so many species. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 31 Oct. 2023

And now these miniature Key deer are protected, having been saved from the brink of extinction. —Tracey Minkin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2023

Dismissing the extinction of species as no big deal merely demonstrates human narrow-mindedness and ignorance about our impact on the world. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023

This puts the species at risk of extinction, because without males, the endangered reptiles can’t reproduce. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023

Populations were wiped to the brink of extinction prior to the 20th century as they were hunted for their coats, which is the second-thickest in the animal kingdom. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 9 Nov. 2023

See More

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing extinction

• extinction coefficient
• mass extinction event
• mass extinction
• self-extinction

• extinction coefficient
• mass extinction event
• mass extinction
• self-extinction

Kids Definition

extinction

noun

ex·​tinc·​tion ik-ˈstiŋ(k)-shən 

1

: an act of extinguishing or an instance of being extinguished

2

a

: the state of being extinct

b

: the process of becoming extinct

3

: the process of eliminating or reducing a conditioned response by not providing the stimulus with which it has become associated by conditioning

Medical Definition

extinction

noun

ex·​tinc·​tion ik-ˈstiŋ(k)-shən 

1

: the process of becoming extinct

the extinction of a species

also : the condition or fact of being extinct

2

: the process of eliminating or reducing a conditioned response by not reinforcing it