extinction

noun
/ɪkˈstɪŋkʃən/

The action of making or becoming extinct; annihilation.

Other meanings

The absorption or scattering of electromagnetic radiation emitted by astronomical objects by intervening dust and gas before it reaches the observer.
The inability to perceive multiple stimuli simultaneously.

Synonyms

extermination

Related words

coextinction
nonextinction
pseudoextinction
semiextinction
de-extinction
extinctionism
extinctionist
hemiextinction

Example sentences

“We're at the beginning of a global mass extinction event.”
Tatoeba · shekitten · CC0

Word history

From Latin "extinctio" (extinction, annihilation).

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “extinction” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.