endangered

en-dan-gered · adjective

imported

Definitions

adjective

  1. 1.

    (Of a species) at serious risk of extinction.

  2. 2.

    At risk of harm, damage, or destruction.

  3. 3.

    Past tense and past participle of *endanger*.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    endangered species — a species at risk of extinction
  • •
    endangered list — an official list of species at risk
  • •
    critically endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction

Related words

Antonyms: protected, safe, thriving
See also: conservation, endanger, extinct, threatened
Synonyms: at risk, imperiled, threatened, vulnerable

Etymology

From endanger + -ed, from en- ("put into") + danger ("risk, peril"). The environmental sense became prominent in the 20th century with growing awareness of species extinction.