as in destruction
the state or fact of being rendered nonexistent, physically unsound, or useless
the state's population of moose has been replenished, having once been hunted almost to extinction
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of extinction
Using Gaia's measurements of how the thick interstellar dust blocks starlight — a process known as extinction — astronomers can trace both the location and density of the dust clouds.
—
Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Earlier in April this year, Colossal claimed to have brought dire wolves out of extinction using a novel iterative genome assembly method.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
By 1900, a treaty was accepted and signed acknowledging this extinction.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
For a species that disappeared thousands of years ago, watching instincts resurface is a profound reminder to Colossal of what de-extinction science makes possible.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extinction
Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Earlier in April this year, Colossal claimed to have brought dire wolves out of extinction using a novel iterative genome assembly method.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
By 1900, a treaty was accepted and signed acknowledging this extinction.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
For a species that disappeared thousands of years ago, watching instincts resurface is a profound reminder to Colossal of what de-extinction science makes possible.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extinction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinction
Noun
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The Wildcats hold a 10-8 edge over the Horned Frogs in their all-time series, including a 41-3 destruction of TCU in 2023 at Manhattan in the teams’ last meeting.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Sep. 2025
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Cyrus — who married Hemsworth, 35, the following month after the destruction, before later separating in August 2019 — was left to grieve the many memories that were lost.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Murderers Bar shows us the sum of industrial achievement and the stakes of its devastation, human-made but altogether more than human.—
Anne Reeve,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
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The new season will not lack for Academy Award hopefuls – among them, All the Walls Came Down, Ondi Timoner’s documentary about the devastation of the Eaton Fire in the Altadena neighborhood of Los Angeles and efforts to rebuild.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And although police have uncovered networks seeking to cause havoc after the election, the fear is that authorities will not be able to expose them all.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
26 Sep. 2025
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Officials also warned of the havoc the network could have caused if left intact.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Farley has managed to woo Wall Street more than his two most recent predecessors — both of whom departed the company after double-digit losses in Ford's stock price.—
Michael Wayland,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
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Following Indiana's loss to the Aces, Clark took to social media on X and shared a short and touching message to her teammates and to the Fever fan base.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The redshirt freshman went 22 of 30 for 354 yards and four TDs in a 56-13 demolition of the Razorbacks.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
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Months after the plant shuttered in 2013, the university hired a demolition company to tear down the silos, in order to make way for a parking lot.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Besides extermination, these companies also may be able to assist with locating and sealing entry points or making other recommendations for exclusion.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
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An extermination of the brutes in the Middle East, presided over by Obama’s successors, has been followed by a swift cancellation by Trumpian decree of the postracial age.—
Pankaj Mishra,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extinction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinction. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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