possibly extinct

[ pos-uh-blee ik-stingkt ]

adjective

, Biology, Ecology.

1. (as categorized by the IUCN Red List ) critically endangered to such an extent that evidence of its existence is profoundly limited and extremely difficult to verify: : PE

   We can hope to find survivors among a possibly extinct species, but sadly we know how unlikely that is.

Word History and Origins

Origin of possibly extinct¹

First recorded in 2005–10