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 of remnant

Noun

• rest
• remainder

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

Ghosts are remnants of someone who should be gone, but won’t disappear. —Virgie Tovar, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026

As the Khairas were moving into their new brick colonial, which already felt steeped in another era, workers began dismantling the old backyard carousel and other remnants of a private fairy-tale landscape. —David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026

Adjective

Arrive early to hike trails through remnant prairie and have a pre-show picnic, then watch an alfresco performance as dusk falls. —Charles Usher, Midwest Living, 10 June 2026

Psyche’s magnetometer may have detected a signature of the solar wind interacting with Mars’ upper atmosphere or its remnant magnetic field, and its spectrometers were tuned to measure the chemical composition of the Martian surface underneath the spacecraft’s flight path. —Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 20 May 2026

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