defunct

adjective

de·​funct di-ˈfəŋkt 

dē-

: no longer living, existing, or functioning

wrote for a magazine that is now defunct

a defunct railroad

Did you know?

If you know that de- often means "the opposite of", it's easy to guess the meaning of defunct. Shakespeare seems to have been the first writer to use this adjective, in Henry V. Defunct American political parties include the Greenback Party, the Readjuster Party, and the Nullifier Party. Defunct Academy Awards categories include Best Dance Direction and Best Assistant Director. Defunct U.S. auto models include the Dudly Bug, the LuLu, the Hupmobile, the Gas-au-lec, and the Nu-Klea Starlite. But to speak of a person as defunct would sound disrespectful—which is how it sounds in e. e. cummings's famous poem "Buffalo Bill's defunct".

Synonyms

• bygone
• bypast
• dead
• departed
• done
• expired
• extinct
• gone
• nonextant
• vanished

Choose the Right Synonym for defunct

dead, defunct, deceased, departed, late mean devoid of life.

dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

a dead, listless performance

defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently.

deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

Examples of defunct in a Sentence

She wrote for the now-defunct newspaper.

a stack of brochures and a few faded placards are all that remain of the defunct organization

Recent Examples on the Web

Viera Rosa reopened the defunct Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, but the facility quickly descended into chaos. —Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024

The defunct mine is in Marguerite, an unincorporated community and coal town in Westmoreland County. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2024

Stops along the way include the restaurant where promoter Leo A. Seltzer drew up the plan for the sport of roller derby, the former homes of defunct roller rinks, roller skate factories and the Montgomery Ward mail-order warehouse where employees traversed the large space wearing skates. —Sylvan Lebrun, Chicago Tribune, 29 Nov. 2024

Take one of the rare tours of the defunct Presidents Park just outside of Colonial Williamsburg and peep the broken remains of 42 giant presidential busts. —Karri Peifer, Axios, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin defunctus, from past participle of defungi to finish, die, from de- + fungi to perform — more at function

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

defunct

adjective

de·​funct di-ˈfəŋ(k)t 

: having finished the course of life or existence : dead, extinct

a defunct organization