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
Unlike other apex predators, humans, including our extinct cousins, can’t handle high levels of proteins.
—
Jay Kakade
december 31, New Atlas, 31 Dec. 2025
By 2014, Thai officials feared the rare species had gone extinct within their borders.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
Torres Maczassek and her brother, Miguel, are considered leaders in climate-change response, including uncovering and re-propagating nearly extinct grape varieties that may fare better in extreme heat and drought.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 27 Dec. 2025
In a paleontological first, researchers have discovered that bees used the jawbones of now extinct mammals as burrows.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extinct
Jay Kakade
december 31, New Atlas, 31 Dec. 2025
By 2014, Thai officials feared the rare species had gone extinct within their borders.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
Torres Maczassek and her brother, Miguel, are considered leaders in climate-change response, including uncovering and re-propagating nearly extinct grape varieties that may fare better in extreme heat and drought.
—Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 27 Dec. 2025
In a paleontological first, researchers have discovered that bees used the jawbones of now extinct mammals as burrows.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinct
Adjective
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But others have tried to claim the mocktail too, including the now-defunct Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles and The Royal Hawaiian hotel in Honolulu.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
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However, the amount of money actually saved by the department has been called into question and Musk has since left the administration, rendering DOGE somewhat defunct.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And even with those two gone, Dubar slid down Boise State’s depth chart, managing just three carries for 12 yards so far in 2025.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Nov. 2025
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Not only are the views, of course, often repulsive, but the actual form of argument is not argument… That’s what interests me, that even the most basic principles that people have worked on for 2,000 years to establish what a fact means…gone.—
Josh Zajdman,
Vogue,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Troopers stopped a vehicle on Interstate 96 to investigate an expired registration plate.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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An expired application notice posted outside the property names Robert Bateman of San Diego Land Engineering Inc.—
Tyler Faurot,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Or why roads and other critical infrastructure projects now take untold years and insane amounts of money to complete, and by the time they are finally opened are already rendered all but obsolete?—
Lee Steinhauer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2026
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The electrical infrastructure was obsolete, deemed undersized and non-compliant with current code.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Extinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinct. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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