Phrase guide

mass extinction

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A sharp decrease in the total number of species in a relatively short period of time; specifically, a loss of ∼75% of all species on the planet over a geologically interval of less than 3 million years, as a result of a mass extinction event.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: evolutionary theory

Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: extinció massiva — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Finnish: joukkosukupuutto — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • French: extinction massive — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • German: Massenaussterben — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Hungarian: tömeges kihalás — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Irish: olldíothú — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Italian: estinzione di massa — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Polish: masowe wymieranie — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Portuguese: extinção em massa — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Russian: ма́ссовое вымира́ние (mássovoje vymiránije) — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Spanish: extinción masiva — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Swedish: massutdöende — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Swedish: massdöd — sharp decrease in the total number of species
  • Ukrainian: ма́сове вимира́ння (másove vymyránnja) — sharp decrease in the total number of species