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
This hardcore sport sedan, with a boisterous engine and a manual transmission, simply seems out of place in an era when sedans, big gasoline engines and stick shifts are all going extinct at an alarming rate.
—
Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
Front-shifting is going extinct, which is lamentable, because on undulating terrain sometimes nothing beats the simplicity of dropping into the small ring for the climb and then shifting back onto the big one for the descent.
—Eben Weiss, Outside Online, 25 July 2025
Since its passing, not a single marine mammal species in U.S. waters has gone extinct, even as use of the ocean has increased.
—Ryan Green, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, pensions are largely extinct except in government, 401(k)s are too often spotty as replacements, and rent absorbs a huge chunk of paychecks for those without equity.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extinct
Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025
Front-shifting is going extinct, which is lamentable, because on undulating terrain sometimes nothing beats the simplicity of dropping into the small ring for the climb and then shifting back onto the big one for the descent.
—Eben Weiss, Outside Online, 25 July 2025
Since its passing, not a single marine mammal species in U.S. waters has gone extinct, even as use of the ocean has increased.
—Ryan Green, Scientific American, 6 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, pensions are largely extinct except in government, 401(k)s are too often spotty as replacements, and rent absorbs a huge chunk of paychecks for those without equity.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for extinct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinct
Adjective
-
The old engine room, while defunct, has been left largely untouched and is open to visitors.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Whether a company gains new control over an established brand, turns its focus toward an underutilized distillery, or revives an old, defunct brand like Rosebank, that distillery’s portfolio is often revamped and reintroduced to the market with new branding and packaging.—
Chris Perugini,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
The original pioneers were mostly busy making non-hyperpop or gone: SOPHIE tragically died in 2021; 100 gecs spent years toiling to make their zany stadium-rock second album.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
3 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
The Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day will be Saturday, giving people in San Diego County the opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted and expired medications.—
Christian Martinez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Apr. 2025
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On April 13, 2024, while stopping a Detroit woman in a school parking lot in Melvindale for expired plates and no insurance, Furman allegedly tasered the woman while forcing her out of her vehicle.—
Tresa Baldas,
Freep.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Federal agencies, local partners, landowners, and conservationists spent more than three decades, millions of dollars, and countless hours removing obsolete dams, restoring wetlands, and reintroducing fish populations to help pull the Roanoke logperch back from the brink.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
28 Aug. 2025
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In 2022, after years of mismanagement at the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility ended up contaminating Hawaii’s water supply, the Department of Defense shut down the obsolete, World War II-era fuel depot.—
Craig Hooper,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Extinct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinct. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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