as in defunct
no longer existing
a few overgrown ruins are all that remain of that once mighty but now extinct civilization
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Recent Examples of extinct
Predator considered locally extinct appears on trail camera in Georgia.
—
Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
The group went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, as did other non-avian dinosaurs.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025
Glyptodonts went extinct about 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, but not before serving as an important food source for some early humans.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2025
Surfer Duke Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian Olympic gold medal swimmer who frequented the rolling waves at the now-extinct surf spot, is said to have quickly grabbed his wooden surfboard, hauling victim after victim to shore.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extinct
Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
The group went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, as did other non-avian dinosaurs.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2025
Glyptodonts went extinct about 6,000 to 7,000 years ago, but not before serving as an important food source for some early humans.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2025
Surfer Duke Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian Olympic gold medal swimmer who frequented the rolling waves at the now-extinct surf spot, is said to have quickly grabbed his wooden surfboard, hauling victim after victim to shore.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinct
Adjective
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Ingram’s best season came in 2023-24 for the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Applegreen, an Irish company at the center of a now-defunct deal to redevelop travel plazas along state highways, shelled out tens of thousands of dollars between 2024 and 2025 to a powerful Beacon Hill lobbying shop, according to a state database last updated June 30.—
Chris Van Buskirk,
Boston Herald,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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By reprogramming ordinary cells—like skin fibroblasts—into stem cells, scientists hope to create eggs and sperm from individuals long gone.—
Tony Bradley,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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So many firsts, gone, charred to ash, just remnants of an area that once represented Black prosperity and joy.—
Maya Richard-Craven,
Forbes,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Rocha shot Vasquez three times with an AR-15, including two misfires, during a traffic stop on July 19, 2022, after being pulled over for expired tags.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
3 Oct. 2025
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Towing companies must now accept credit cards and cannot tow due to an expired parking permit or registration, reported The Connecticut Mirror.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But as obsolete as these pregnancy myths might have become, in some ways parents still need them.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
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Mastery of a particular model’s API or a set of prompting techniques can become obsolete in a matter of months.—
Marco Argenti,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinct. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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