What does extinction mean?

Definitions for extinction
ɪkˈstɪŋk ʃənex·tinc·tion

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word extinction.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. extinctionnoun

    no longer active; extinguished

    "the extinction of the volcano"

  2. extinction, defunctnessnoun

    no longer in existence

    "the extinction of a species"

  3. extinctionnoun

    the reduction of the intensity of radiation as a consequence of absorption and radiation

  4. extinction, exterminationnoun

    complete annihilation

    "they think a meteor cause the extinction of the dinosaurs"

  5. extinction, experimental extinctionnoun

    a conditioning process in which the reinforcer is removed and a conditioned response becomes independent of the conditioned stimulus

  6. extinction, extinguishing, quenchingnoun

    the act of extinguishing; causing to stop burning

    "the extinction of the lights"

GCIDE

  1. Extinctionnoun

    Specifically: The ceasing to exist of a species of living organism, such as a plant or animal, whose numbers declined to the point where the last member of the species died and therefore no new members of the species could ever again be born.

Wiktionary

  1. extinctionnoun

    The action of making or becoming extinct; annihilation.

  2. extinctionnoun

    The absorption or scattering of electromagnetic radiation emitted by astronomical objects by intervening dust and gas before it reaches the observer.

  3. Etymology: From extinction, from extinctio, from extinguere, past participle extinctus; see extinguish.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Extinctionnoun

    Etymology: extinctio, Latin.

    Red-hot needles or wires, extinguished in quicksilver, do yet acquire a verticity according to the laws of position and extinction. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours, b. ii. c. 2.

    The parts are consumed through extinction of their native heat, and dissipation of their radical moisture. Gideon Harvey.

    The extinction of nations, and the desolation of kingdoms, were but the effects of this destructive evil. John Rogers, Sermons.

    They lie in dead oblivion, losing half
    The fleeting moments of too short a life,
    Total extinction of th’ enlighten’d soul. James Thomson, Summer.

Wikipedia

  1. Extinction

    Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point. Because a species' potential range may be very large, determining this moment is difficult, and is usually done retrospectively. This difficulty leads to phenomena such as Lazarus taxa, where a species presumed extinct abruptly "reappears" (typically in the fossil record) after a period of apparent absence. More than 99% of all species that ever lived on Earth, amounting to over five billion species, are estimated to have died out. It is estimated that there are currently around 8.7 million species of eukaryote globally, and possibly many times more if microorganisms, like bacteria, are included.

ChatGPT

  1. extinction

    Extinction refers to the end or the complete disappearance of a species, group of organisms, or a specific trait. This is generally a result of environmental changes or catastrophic events that lead to an inability for the species to survive and reproduce, leading to its end. Extinction is a natural part of biodiversity and evolution, but can also be significantly accelerated due to human activities like deforestation, overhunting, habitat destruction or climate change.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Extinctionnoun

    the act of extinguishing or making extinct; a putting an end to; the act of putting out or destroying light, fire, life, activity, influence, etc

  2. Extinctionnoun

    state of being extinguished or of ceasing to be; destruction; suppression; as, the extinction of life, of a family, of a quarrel, of claim

  3. Etymology: [L. extinctio, exstinction: cf. F. extinction.]

Wikidata

  1. Extinction

    In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms, normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point. Because a species' potential range may be very large, determining this moment is difficult, and is usually done retrospectively. This difficulty leads to phenomena such as Lazarus taxa, where a species presumed extinct abruptly "re-appears" after a period of apparent absence. Through evolution, new species arise through the process of speciation—where new varieties of organisms arise and thrive when they are able to find and exploit an ecological niche—and species become extinct when they are no longer able to survive in changing conditions or against superior competition. The relationship between animals and their ecological niches has been firmly established. A typical species becomes extinct within 10 million years of its first appearance, although some species, called living fossils, survive with virtually no morphological change for hundreds of millions of years. Most extinctions have occurred naturally, prior to Homo sapiens walking on Earth: it is estimated that 99.9% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of extinction in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of extinction in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of extinction in a Sentence

  1. Andrew Pask:

    The technologies we are developing to de-extinct the thylacine all have immediate conservation benefits -- right now -- to protect marsupial species. Biobanks of frozen tissue from living marsupial populations have been collected to protect against extinction from fires, however, we still lack the technology to take that tissue -- create marsupial stem cells -- and then turn those cells into a living animal. That is the technology we will develop as a part of this project.

  2. David Mooney:

    There is a massive decline in the number of funds, and no replacements, there has been a near 'extinction event' in commodities hedge funds.

  3. Bob Ward:

    I hope we can get to net zero earlier and I hope Extinction Rebellion will continue to push for The UK, but we've got to do this whilst improving the quality of people's lives, we have more than 20 million homes in The UK that have gas central heating... if Bob Ward were to stop The UK now, rip up their gas central heating without knowing what Bob Ward are going to replace The UK with, Bob Ward will kill people. Because there will be people who will freeze to death.

  4. Ryosuke Motani:

    Slightly after the end-Permian mass extinction, there were a lot of open opportunities as life recolonized the Earths surface, these bizarre forms grabbed the open niches and diversified, but were soon wiped out, probably by natural selection. The animal in question is one of them it must have been a slow swimmer and an inefficient feeder, but that was sufficient for the time being.

  5. Greta Thunberg:

    People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing, we are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk is the money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth.

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Translations for extinction

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"extinction." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LTD, 2026. Web. 27 Jul 2026. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/extinction>.

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