vestigial
adjective
ves·ti·gial
ve-ˈsti-jē-əl 
-jəl
1
of a body part or organ
: remaining in a form that is small or imperfectly developed and not able to function : being or having the form of a vestige (see vestige sense 2)
a vestigial tail
Kiwis lack an external tail, and their vestigial wings are entirely hidden beneath a curious plumage—shaggy, more like fur than feathers …—
Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould2
: remaining as the last small part of something that existed before
It's held in the Gold Room, a vestigial ballroom of the kind that every downtown hotel uses for banquets and conventions.—William Zinsser
William ZinsserLater colonial laws … prohibited even speaking the Pequot language, now long dead but for a few vestigial words.—Kirk Johnson
Kirk JohnsonExamples of vestigial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Most of the production had long since been transferred to free American states, but a vestigial footprint was left behind, in Hyannis.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
His success at Leverkusen using wing-backs could see recent United signings such as Patrick Dorgu gain a second life, rather than being discarded as a vestigial element of Ruben Amorim’s tenure.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Whatever remains is vestigial, showing itself in occasional non-standard pronunciation or unusual turns of phrase that, after more than a decade into our relationship, still confound my Californian husband.
—Literary Hub, 4 Dec. 2025
Not surprisingly, Fort Lauderdale has historically been seen — and seen itself — as a vestigial appendage of its southern neighbor rather than an equal force to be respected and reckoned with.
—Peter Lane Taylor, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
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Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
His success at Leverkusen using wing-backs could see recent United signings such as Patrick Dorgu gain a second life, rather than being discarded as a vestigial element of Ruben Amorim’s tenure.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Whatever remains is vestigial, showing itself in occasional non-standard pronunciation or unusual turns of phrase that, after more than a decade into our relationship, still confound my Californian husband.
—Literary Hub, 4 Dec. 2025
Not surprisingly, Fort Lauderdale has historically been seen — and seen itself — as a vestigial appendage of its southern neighbor rather than an equal force to be respected and reckoned with.
—Peter Lane Taylor, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vestigial
Cite this Entry
“Vestigial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vestigial. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
vestigial
adjective
ves·tig·ial
ve-ˈstij-(ē-)əl
: of, relating to, or being a vestige
a vestigial structure
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