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: no longer active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: gone out of use : superseded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

By the ’50s, the accessory that launched a riot was virtually extinct. — Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 4, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

Now the smell has gone, unforgotten by elderly noses but irretrievably extinct. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026

Food production will drop, people will go hungry, water shortages will worsen, economies will be hurt and species like coral will go extinct, the report said. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026

The findings add to growing evidence that Tasmanian tigers were quite different from initial assumptions — and reveal the complexities of trying to understand an extinct species. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 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: no longer active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