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

• 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

The old engine room, while defunct, has been left largely untouched and is open to visitors. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025

Whether a company gains new control over an established brand, turns its focus toward an underutilized distillery, or revives an old, defunct brand like Rosebank, that distillery’s portfolio is often revamped and reintroduced to the market with new branding and packaging. —Chris Perugini, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Reynolds made a massive splash in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with last year's Deadpool & Wolverine, the third Deadpool movie that also brought back Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, as well as a slew of superhero castings from the defunct 20th Century Fox era of superhero movies. —EW.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Also that afternoon, Cheech Marin (of Cheech & Chong) on Chicano art (and his California museum of art); and a conversation about Teen Angels magazine, the beloved (now defunct) zine often credited with spreading the culture of lowriders, tattoos and Latino aesthetics. —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025

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