extinction.

1. Weakening of a learned response when its expected reinforcement stops.

2. The complete loss of a species with no surviving members.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• response extinction
• extinction learning

On the page

The researchers observed extinction after withdrawing the reward.

Usage notes

Primary category: psychology / human behavior. Forms: Usually uncountable; no ordinary plural in this sense. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: character, interpretation. Commonness: moderately common.