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Extinct vs Imperiled - What's the difference?

extinct | imperiled |

As adjectives the difference between extinct and imperiled

is that extinct is (dated) extinguished, no longer alight (of fire, candles etc) while imperiled is (biological conservation) at risk of becoming extinct.

As a verb imperiled is

(imperil).

extinct

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • (dated) Extinguished, no longer alight (of fire, candles etc.)
    • Poor Edward's cigarillo was already extinct .
  • No longer used; obsolete, discontinued.
  • * Luckily, such ideas about race are extinct in current sociological theory.
  • *
    • Indeed the very fact that the English spelling system
    writes in there'' as two words but ''therein'' as one word might be taken as suggest-
    ing that only the former is a productive syntactic construction in Modern
    English, the latter being a now extinct construction which has left behind a
    few fossil remnants in the form of compound words such as ''thereby     .
  • No longer in existence; having died out.
    • The dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years.
  • (vulcanology) No longer actively erupting.
    • Most of the volcanos on this island are now extinct .

    Synonyms

    * dead

    Antonyms

    * (no longer alight) burning * (having died out) extant * active, dormant

    Related terms

    * extinction * extinctive * extinguish

    External links

    * *

    imperiled

    English

    Alternative forms

    * imperilled (UK)

    Adjective

    (head)
  • (biological conservation) at risk of becoming extinct
    • The wildlife management plan was focused on helping the reproductive needs of imperiled species.

    Verb

    (head)
  • (imperil)