Meaning & use
endangered
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparablebiology
At serious risk of no longer existing.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: an endangered species; the species is endangered.
Patterns
- endangered species
- become endangered
- critically endangered
The giant panda is an endangered species.
Many birds are endangered because of habitat loss.
The law protects critically endangered animals.
adjectivenot comparable
At risk of being harmed, lost, or destroyed.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: endangered jobs; their way of life is endangered.
Patterns
- endangered way of life
- endangered culture
- be endangered by something
The storm put the endangered coastal villages at further risk.
Their traditional way of life is endangered by modernization.
Common combinations
- endangered species
- The zoo breeds endangered species to help them survive.
- critically endangered
- The mountain gorilla is critically endangered.
- highly endangered
- These turtles are highly endangered due to poaching.
- endangered language
- Linguists are documenting endangered languages before they disappear.
Synonyms and how they differ
- threatened
- Threatened is a broader term for any species at risk; endangered implies a higher level of risk.
- vulnerable
- Vulnerable means easily harmed but not necessarily at risk of extinction; endangered is a stronger, more specific term.
Opposites
Word family
- endanger verb
- To put at risk.
- endangerment noun
- The state of being at risk.
Commonly confused: endangered or rare?
endangered vs rare
Rare means there are few of something, but it does not necessarily mean they are in danger; endangered means they are at risk of extinction.
Practice
The giant panda is an ______ species, with only a few thousand left in the wild.
Choose one answer.
Endangered is the adjective describing a species at risk of extinction. Dangerous means harmful, endangering is a verb form, and endanger is a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “endangered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.