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
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Recent Examples of extinction
By century’s end, up to 20% of all Earth’s land could experience abrupt ecosystem transformation, such as forests becoming grasslands, with attendant extinction and collapse of ecosystems.
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Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
Their resilience enabled them to survive numerous disasters, including the Permian-Triassic extinction which wiped out over 90% of Earth’s species.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty/Universal Images Group Editorial
To consider how climate change could cause some extinctions, imagine a tiny mountain bird that eats the berries of a particular mountain tree.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 7 Dec. 2024
More than a quarter of North American bumblebees are at risk of extinction with both bees and butterflies declining by a shocking 1 or 2% a year, according to a report in the National Academy of Sciences.
—Amy Chillag, CNN, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for extinction 
Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
Their resilience enabled them to survive numerous disasters, including the Permian-Triassic extinction which wiped out over 90% of Earth’s species.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty/Universal Images Group Editorial
To consider how climate change could cause some extinctions, imagine a tiny mountain bird that eats the berries of a particular mountain tree.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 7 Dec. 2024
More than a quarter of North American bumblebees are at risk of extinction with both bees and butterflies declining by a shocking 1 or 2% a year, according to a report in the National Academy of Sciences.
—Amy Chillag, CNN, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for extinction
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extinction
Noun
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Images of Helene's path of destruction initially shocked Church and Combs.Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
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The facts are clear: Marylanders stand to gain no benefit from this proposal, yet our state will bear the brunt of its environmental destruction and economic damage to agritourism and farming, our top Maryland industry.Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Their grievances justify lawbreaking, havoc, rampage.Matthew Continetti, National Review, 14 Dec. 2024
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Long lamented the havoc wreaked on motorists, who will be affected by the partial bridge closure well into 2025.Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The imposition of price controls is more often than not the imposition of a loss that businesses (including banks) aren’t in the position to sustain, thus the cessation of the service price-controlled by federal bureaucrats.John Tamny, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
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Such outages are defined as those affecting at least 50,000 homes or businesses, or causing at least a 300-megawatt loss of power.Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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But as construction work began, starting with the demolition of the 1866 piers earlier this year, some vocal opposition, bolstered by rail startup with ambitious plans to privatize Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor, demanded a halt to their removal.Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 23 Dec. 2024
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Included in the plans is the possible demolition of the Twitty mansion, which concerned commission leaders due to wanting to preserve the tradition and history of Hendersonville.Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near extinction
Cite this Entry
“Extinction.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extinction. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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