endangered

[ en-deyn-jerd ]

adjective

1. threatened with a danger:

   endangered lives of trapped coal miners.

2. Biology, Ecology. generally perceived as threatened with extinction:

   In 1967, the U.S. government declared the bald eagle endangered, but the national bird’s population recovery since then has been remarkable.

3. Biology, Ecology. (of a threatened plant or animal species) having a very high risk of extinction, second only to the status of critically endangered, as categorized by the IUCN Red List: : EN

   There are more than 3,600 endangered plant species throughout the world.

endangered

/ ɪnˈdeɪndʒəd /

adjective

1. in danger: used esp of animals in danger of extinction

   the giant panda is an endangered species

Other Words From

• unen·dangered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of endangered¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; endanger + -ed ²

Example Sentences

White people are an endangered breed, fighting to delay their extinction.

From Salon

Red pandas are native to the eastern Himalayas and south western China but have become an endangered species, mainly due to habitat loss, human interference and poaching.

From BBC

A former British army soldier could have endangered the life of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe by sending a fake intelligence document to Iran, a court has heard.

From BBC

The Environment Agency found that 2,100 fish died, including eels and lampreys both endangered and protected species.

From BBC

But the 2025 manifesto instructs the agency to focus on thinning trees and increasing timber sale, in part by reducing “regulatory obstacles” put in place by the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• threatened