DEFUNCT Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'defunct' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of defunct are dead , deceased , departed , and late . While all these words mean "devoid of life," defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation. // a defunct television series

Q: When is 'dead' a more appropriate choice than 'defunct'?

The meanings of dead and defunct largely overlap; however, 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

Q: How does the word 'deceased' relate to other synonyms for 'defunct'?

Deceased , departed , and late apply to persons who have died recently. Deceased is the preferred term in legal use. // the estate of the deceased

Q: When might 'departed' be a better fit than 'defunct'?

The words departed and defunct are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, departed is used usually as a euphemism. // our departed sister

Q: When would 'late' be a good substitute for 'defunct'?

While in some cases nearly identical to defunct , late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status. // the company's late president

defunct

adjective

di-ˈfəŋkt

Definition of defunct next

as in extinct

no longer existing a stack of brochures and a few faded placards are all that remain of the defunct organization

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fallen

no longer living a defunct species that we know only through fossil remains

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective defunct contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of defunct are dead, deceased, departed, and late. While all these words mean "devoid of life," defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

When is dead a more appropriate choice than defunct?

The meanings of dead and defunct largely overlap; however, 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

How does the word deceased relate to other synonyms for defunct?

Deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently. Deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

When might departed be a better fit than defunct?

The words departed and defunct are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

When would late be a good substitute for defunct?

While in some cases nearly identical to defunct, late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of defunct 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 Street Road starts about thirteen miles west of the McDonald’s, near Nike Park, named for the Nike missile battery, now defunct, that was installed when East Coast cities were ringed with surface-to-air missiles, in case there was a Soviet ICBM attack. —

The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for defunct

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defunct

Adjective

Once widespread across the globe, most lineages of early marsupials have long since gone extinct.

Scott Travers, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Other lineages of ancient humans also went extinct around 40,000 years ago and disappeared just like the Neanderthals ultimately did, said Johannes Krause, director at the department of archaeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Katie Hunt, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024