extinction
gb/ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/ us/ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/
B2
Inglês
~ 9400
kihalás, eltűnés, kioltás, extinkció, megszűnés
SUBSTANTIVO
B2
1
kihalás
B2
Padrão de uso:
the extinction of [a species/group]
Many scientists warn that human activity is causing a new wave of species extinction.
Sok tudós arra figyelmeztet, hogy az emberi tevékenység a fajok kihalásának új hullámát okozza.
The extinction of the dodo is often used as a symbol of the impact of humans on wildlife.
A dodó kihalását gyakran az ember élővilágra gyakorolt hatásának szimbólumaként emlegetik.
Climate change is pushing some polar bear populations toward extinction.
Conservation programs aim to prevent the extinction of critically endangered birds.
The fossil record shows at least five major mass extinction events in Earth's history.
Exemplos para estudantes
The extinction of dinosaurs happened millions of years ago.
A dinoszauruszok kihalása több millió évvel ezelőtt történt.
Many animals are in danger of extinction because people destroy their homes.
Sok állatot a kihalás veszélye fenyeget, mert az emberek elpusztítják az élőhelyüket.
Zoos sometimes help stop the extinction of rare animals.
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes confuse "extinction" with "instinct" because they sound similar, but they are unrelated: "extinction" is about disappearing completely, while "instinct" is a natural behavior. Another mistake is to say *"an extinction of tigers"* for one species; in most cases we say *"the extinction of tigers"* or *"tiger extinction" unless we are talking about several different extinctions.
Significado
permanent dying out of a species
Colocações
mass extinction
|risk of extinction
|threat of extinction
|on the brink of extinction
|drive [a species] to extinction
|prevent extinction
Sinônimos
die-off (Often used in science and news for a large, sudden loss of animals or plants; slightly more informal.)
|
wiping out (More informal and emotional, often stressing that humans caused the extinction.)
Antônimos
survival (Focuses on a species continuing to live instead of disappearing completely.)
Temas
environment
|science
|nature
|climate
|animals
Definição
The complete death of a kind of animal or plant, so that none are left alive in the world.
The permanent dying out of a species or large group of organisms, so that no living members remain anywhere.
SUBSTANTIVO
C1
FORMAL
2
Padrão de uso:
the extinction of [something abstract]
Rapid urbanization has led to the near extinction of many traditional farming practices.
A gyors urbanizáció számos hagyományos gazdálkodási gyakorlat szinte teljes eltűnéséhez vezetett.
The extinction of the local language has weakened the community’s cultural identity.
A helyi nyelv kihalása meggyengítette a közösség kulturális identitását.
Some historians argue that digital media may prevent the extinction of minority languages by connecting speakers.
Without proper funding, the craft faces slow extinction as older artisans retire.
Museums can help stop the extinction of ancient skills by offering training programs.
Exemplos para estudantes
Many small languages are close to extinction.
Sok kisebb nyelv a kihalás szélén áll.
Some people fight to stop the extinction of old music and stories.
Vannak, akik azért küzdenek, hogy megakadályozzák a régi zenék és történetek eltűnését.
The internet may slow the extinction of local cultures.
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes overuse this sense with things that normally just "end" or "stop". For example, we usually say *"the end of the meeting"* rather than *"the extinction of the meeting"*. Use "extinction" when something disappears completely and permanently, not just when it finishes.
Significado
disappearance of a custom or group
Colocações
cultural extinction
|language extinction
|near extinction
|extinction of traditional skills
|extinction of small communities
Sinônimos
disappearance (General word; does not always suggest a slow, final ending the way "extinction" does.)
|
dying out (More informal; often used for traditions or languages fading away over time.)
Antônimos
revival (Emphasizes bringing something back into active use after it was close to disappearing.)
Temas
society
|culture
|history
|relationships
|education
Definição
The slow end of a way of life, a language, or a group of people until it does not exist anymore.
The process by which a custom, practice, language, or social group disappears and no longer exists.
SUBSTANTIVO
C2
TECHNICAL
3
Padrão de uso:
the extinction of [a learned/conditioned response]
Exposure therapy aims to promote extinction of the patient’s conditioned fear response.
Az expozíciós terápia célja a páciens kondicionált félelmi reakciójának kioltása.
After several sessions without any reward, extinction of the lever-pressing behavior was observed.
Több jutalom nélküli alkalom után megfigyelték a karlenyomó viselkedés kioltását.
The study examined how sleep affects the extinction of traumatic memories.
Spontaneous recovery can occur after extinction, when the response temporarily returns.
The researchers measured extinction rates across different reinforcement schedules.
Exemplos para estudantes
In this experiment, the rat’s behavior went through extinction when food stopped coming.
Ebben a kísérletben a patkány viselkedése kioltódott, amikor már nem kapott ételt.
Therapy can help with the extinction of fear in people with phobias.
A terápia segítheti a félelem kioltását a fóbiában szenvedő embereknél.
Extinction happens when a learned action slowly stops because it is not rewarded.
Erro comum:
Learners may confuse psychological "extinction" with everyday "forgetting". In psychology, extinction is about change in learned connections between stimulus and response, not simply losing a memory.
Significado
loss of a learned response
Colocações
fear extinction
|extinction learning
|extinction trial
|extinction phase
|extinction training
Sinônimos
unlearning (Informal and less precise; used in everyday speech rather than scientific writing.)
Antônimos
conditioning (Refers to the process of creating or strengthening a learned response, rather than making it disappear.)
Temas
psychology
|science
|education
|health
Definição
In psychology, when a learned action slowly stops happening because it is not rewarded or repeated anymore.
In psychology, the gradual weakening and disappearance of a learned response when it is no longer reinforced or paired with the original stimulus.
SUBSTANTIVO
C2
TECHNICAL
4
extinkció
C2
Padrão de uso:
the extinction of [light/radiation] in/through [a medium]
Astronomers must correct for atmospheric extinction when measuring the brightness of stars.
A csillagászoknak korrigálniuk kell a légköri extinkciót, amikor a csillagok fényességét mérik.
The extinction coefficient describes how strongly the material absorbs light at a given wavelength.
Az extinkciós együttható megadja, hogy az anyag milyen erősen nyeli el a fényt egy adott hullámhosszon.
Dust in the galaxy causes significant extinction of starlight in the visible range.
Optical extinction increases as the concentration of particles in the solution rises.
Interstellar extinction can make distant objects appear both dimmer and redder.
Exemplos para estudantes
Fog causes extinction of light from car headlights.
A köd csökkenti az autófényszórók fényének intenzitását.
Scientists measure extinction to understand how much light a gas or liquid blocks.
A tudósok az extinkciót mérik, hogy megértsék, egy gáz vagy folyadék mennyi fényt nyel el vagy szór szét.
In space studies, extinction makes stars look less bright.
Erro comum:
Learners may wrongly apply the biological meaning here and think of species dying out. In technical physics texts, "extinction" usually refers to radiation intensity becoming weaker, not to living things.
Significado
reduction of light intensity
Colocações
light extinction
|optical extinction
|atmospheric extinction
|extinction coefficient
|interstellar extinction
Sinônimos
attenuation (Standard technical term in physics and engineering; not limited to light and often broader than "extinction".)
Antônimos
transmission (Focuses on radiation passing through a medium without being significantly reduced.)
Temas
science
|physics
|astronomy
|space
Definição
In physics, when light or other energy becomes weaker as it moves through air, glass, dust, or another material.
In physics and astronomy, the reduction in intensity of light or other electromagnetic radiation as it passes through a medium, due to absorption and scattering.
SUBSTANTIVO
C2
TECHNICAL
5
megszűnés
B2
Padrão de uso:
the extinction of [a right/debt/obligation]
Payment in full results in the extinction of the debtor’s obligations.
A teljes kifizetés az adós kötelezettségeinek megszűnését eredményezi.
The contract provided for the extinction of all claims after five years.
A szerződés úgy rendelkezett, hogy öt év után minden követelés megszűnik.
Bankruptcy proceedings may lead to the extinction of certain unsecured debts.
The court ruled that there had been no extinction of the easement despite non-use.
By operation of law, the merger caused the extinction of the minority shareholders’ rights.
Exemplos para estudantes
Full payment can cause the extinction of a debt.
A teljes kifizetés a tartozás megszűnését eredményezheti.
Some legal rights reach extinction after a time limit.
Egyes jogok egy határidő letelte után megszűnnek.
The lawyer explained the extinction of the old contract.
Erro comum:
Learners may try to use this legal sense in everyday situations where simpler words like "end" or "finish" are better. Use this meaning mainly in legal or financial writing.
Significado
ending of a right or obligation
Colocações
extinction of a debt
|extinction of obligations
|extinction of rights
|by extinction
|extinction of the claim
Sinônimos
termination (Common in everyday and legal English; slightly broader, can mean ending of many kinds of agreements or situations.)
Antônimos
creation (Refers to bringing a right or obligation into existence, rather than ending it.)
Temas
law
|business
|finance
Definição
In law, when a right, claim, or debt officially ends and does not exist anymore.
In law and finance, the formal ending of a legal right, claim, or obligation so that it no longer exists or can be enforced.
Gramática
Forma no dicionário
extinction
AFI
GB/ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/
US/ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/
Sílabas e tonicidade
ex - tinc - tion (3 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (tinc)
Formas da palavra
Noun
- Base: extinction
- Plural: extinction, extinctions
Família de palavras
Forms
extinctions
noun
Core family
extinct
adjective B1
Related words
extinguish
verb
extinguisher
noun
Expressões
drive [something] to extinction
1/dɹˈaɪv sˈʌmθɪŋ tə ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/
fixed phrase
cause something to die out
To make a kind of animal, plant, or practice die out completely, often by harmful actions.
Exemplos
- Illegal hunting could drive these rhinos to extinction within a decade.
- Pollution has already driven several freshwater species to extinction.
- Experts say that losing this wetland will eventually drive the local bird population to extinction.
extinction event
1/ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən ɪvˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
technical
period of many extinctions
A time in Earth’s history when many different kinds of animals and plants die out in a short time.
Exemplos
- The end-Permian extinction event wiped out most marine species.
- Researchers are debating whether current trends qualify as a human-driven extinction event.
- Fossil evidence suggests several smaller extinction events between the major ones.
extinction-level event
1/ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən lˈɛvəl ɪvˈɛnt/
fixed phrase
catastrophic extinction-causing event
A very large disaster that could make many kinds of life, possibly including humans, die out completely.
Exemplos
- Some scientists monitor asteroids that could cause an extinction-level event.
- The film imagines an extinction-level event triggered by a supervolcano.
- An extinction-level event would permanently change life on Earth.
face extinction
1/fˈeɪs ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/
fixed phrase
be threatened with extinction
To be in real danger of dying out completely.
Exemplos
- Without stronger protections, many insect species could face extinction.
- Small family farms face extinction as large companies take over.
- Linguists are documenting languages that face extinction in the next few decades.
in danger of extinction
1/ˈɪn dˈeɪnd͡ʒɚ əv ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/
fixed phrase
seriously threatened with extinction
At strong risk of dying out completely.
Exemplos
- Many shark species are in danger of extinction because of overfishing.
- The program focuses on animals that are in danger of extinction in the wild.
- Cultural festivals like this one are in danger of extinction as young people move away.
mass extinction
1/mˈæs ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/
fixed phrase
large-scale loss of species
A time when many kinds of animals and plants die out in a short period of Earth’s history.
Exemplos
- Scientists fear that human activity is driving a sixth mass extinction.
- The asteroid impact is believed to have caused a mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period.
- Coral reefs are collapsing, which could trigger a regional mass extinction in the oceans.
on the brink of extinction
1/ˈɔn ðə bɹˈɪŋk əv ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/
fixed phrase
very close to dying out
Almost extinct; very near the point where no members of a species or group are left.
Exemplos
- Several amphibian species are on the brink of extinction due to a deadly fungus.
- The rare language is on the brink of extinction, with fewer than twenty fluent speakers.
- Without urgent action, these turtles will be on the brink of extinction within decades.
prevent extinction
1/pɹɪvˈɛnt ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/
fixed phrase
stop something from dying out
To stop a kind of animal, plant, or group from dying out completely.
Exemplos
- Protected areas have been created to prevent extinction of the snow leopard.
- International cooperation is needed to prevent extinction of migratory bird species.
- Zoos and breeding programs can help prevent extinction in some cases.
risk of extinction
1/ɹˈɪsk əv ɪkstˈɪŋkʃən/
fixed phrase
chance of becoming extinct
The chance that a kind of animal, plant, or group will die out completely.
Exemplos
- Climate models show an increased risk of extinction for many polar species.
- Conservationists are working to lower the risk of extinction for these primates.
- Small, isolated populations face a higher risk of extinction.