1
as in extinct
no longer existing
a stack of brochures and a few faded placards are all that remain of the defunct organization
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fallen
no longer living
a defunct species that we know only through fossil remains
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defunct
Mulrooney began his comedy career in the 1980s at the now-defunct Pips Club in Sheepshead Bay, per an online obituary.
—
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
Tesla is one of multiple companies that DHL has worked with for electric trucking adoption since 2020, with the company teaming up with BYD, Volvo Trucks, Daimler Truck, Scania and now-defunct Nikola on separate deployments.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 31 Dec. 2025
King had joined the Auteurs from a now-defunct competitor called Jaman, which King says blew tens of millions of dollars acquiring thousands of independent films, only for them to be watched by nobody.
—Will Tavlin, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Investors are planning to breathe life into the currently defunct Goldfield Trading Post in midtown, which closed in November.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defunct
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2026
Tesla is one of multiple companies that DHL has worked with for electric trucking adoption since 2020, with the company teaming up with BYD, Volvo Trucks, Daimler Truck, Scania and now-defunct Nikola on separate deployments.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 31 Dec. 2025
King had joined the Auteurs from a now-defunct competitor called Jaman, which King says blew tens of millions of dollars acquiring thousands of independent films, only for them to be watched by nobody.
—Will Tavlin, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Investors are planning to breathe life into the currently defunct Goldfield Trading Post in midtown, which closed in November.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for defunct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defunct
Adjective
-
Many hominids went extinct during this period, and being able to consume alcohol without adverse and/or toxic effects would have conferred a survival advantage.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In 2017, winter steelhead populations at Oregon’s Willamette Falls seemed almost certain to soon go extinct, Michael Brown, the marine-mammal program leader at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, told me.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The fallen deputy was born and raised in Miami-Dade, having been born in Baptist Hospital and attended Miami Killian Senior High School.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Chapter veterans from branches of the military will honor 300 fallen service members from Southern California who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with special memorial markers.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The cemetery of good but dead laws is infinite; the main thing is that social forces exist.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
-
These ghosts, which take the form of their dead friends, are mostly just goofy, with the shoddy special effects and glowy auras giving the whole thing a distinctly Haunted Mansion vibe; critically, the threat never feels real, which undermines any tension.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Health inspectors found an expired California food handler card.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Mecklenburg County health inspectors found multiple violations at restaurants in October, including flies in a kitchen and serving expired food.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The victims were Kato Allen Perez, born in 1992, who was previously known to be deceased; Nikko Lee Perez, who was born in 1996; Mika Alena Perez, who was born in 1995; a second Nikko Lee Perez, who was born in 1997; and Kato Krow Perez, born in 2001.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And even with those two gone, Dubar slid down Boise State’s depth chart, managing just three carries for 12 yards so far in 2025.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Not only are the views, of course, often repulsive, but the actual form of argument is not argument… That’s what interests me, that even the most basic principles that people have worked on for 2,000 years to establish what a fact means…gone.—
Josh Zajdman,
Vogue,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defunct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defunct. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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