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

While the majority of the grant program is funded through the MIF contract, FORGE also received additional support from private funders and CTNext, a now-defunct organization once tasked with supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in the state. —P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026

According to Vice, the tradition of the Friday the 13th tattoo flash sale is widely credited to tattoo artist Oliver Peck, who, in 1995, held a 24-hour tattooing bonanza at the now-defunct Pair O' Dice tattoo shop in Dallas, offering customers $13 tattoos. —Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Feb. 2026

The old boiler wheezed and stalled, the roof sprang leaks, half-century-old pipes cracked, and the lobby intercom was defunct. —Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026

A number of newspapers in town held similar contests, Morse says, including the now-defunct Chicago Inter Ocean, which published from 1865 to 1914. —Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 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