remnant

1 of 2

noun

rem·​nant ˈrem-nənt 

1

a

: a usually small part, member, or trace remaining

b

: a small surviving group

—often used in plural

2

: an unsold or unused end of piece goods

remnant

2 of 2

adjective

: still remaining

Synonyms

Noun

• balance
• leavings
• leftovers
• odds and ends
• remainder
• remains
• residue
• residuum
• rest

Examples of remnant in a Sentence

Noun

Remnants go on sale next week.

sailed home with just a remnant of the colony's original population aboard

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the cave site on northern Malta, scientists found trace remnants of the roasted carcasses of red deer, tortoises and birds, as well as the remains of the marine life that once swarmed around Malta. —Saul Elbein, The Hill, 9 Apr. 2025

This image, captured by a South African radio telescope named MeerKAT, also shows the ghostly, bubble-like remnants of supernovas that exploded over millennia. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 8 Apr. 2025

Adjective

Sand grains in a second remnant channel 85 kilometers downstream also dated back 2500 years. —Byeli Kintisch, science.org, 17 June 2024

Sheba Abernathy, a resident of Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, serves as volunteer steward at Superior Street Prairie, a remnant prairie in Calumet City. —Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, contraction of remenant, from Anglo-French remanant, from present participle of remaindre to remain — more at remain entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1550, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

remnant

noun

rem·​nant

ˈrem-nənt

1

: a surviving usually small part

remnants of a great civilization

2

: something that remains or is left over

a remnant of cloth