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 of defunct

• extinct
• vanished
• expired
• gone

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

Chariot Equities, Crozer-Chester Medical Center's new owner, completed the purchase of the defunct hospital Wednesday in partnership with Allaire Health Services, following its parent company's bankruptcy filing, which led to the hospital's closure. —Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026

Named after a now-defunct Houston theme park, Astroworld was both intimate and engineered for scale, marking the culmination of Scott’s early ascent and establishing him as one of the defining rap artists of his era. —Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2026

But Thornton noted a number of challenges Wonderfront experienced at Embarcadero Marina Park North, which was previously the home of the now-defunct San Diego Blues Festival and the San Diego Smooth Jazz Festival, which is now held at the nearby Rady Shell. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026

In 2012, one bettor on the now-defunct prediction market Intrade placed a series of huge wagers on Mitt Romney in the two weeks preceding the election, generating a betting line indicative of a tight race. —Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 17 Jan. 2026

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

Rhymes for defunct

• adjunct
• debunked
• disjunct
• flunked
• junked
• plunked
• trunked

Kids Definition

defunct

adjective

de·​funct di-ˈfəŋ(k)t 

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

a defunct organization