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
Examples of defunct in a Sentence
Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The old system functioned best in Internet Explorer, a defunct browser, and customers had trouble finding a free version of Adobe to open the forms, the department said.
—Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2024
The contrast between XPeng and Apple's now defunct Project Titan, both founded 10 years ago, could not be more stark.
—Mark Andrews, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2024
Its centerpiece was a grand, defunct table cuckoo clock whose avian automaton was paralyzed just beyond its little door.
—Joseph O’Neill, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Gone Wild: Most defunct golf courses get paved over.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Harvey headed next for Florent, a now defunct all-night diner, on Gansevoort Street, a block from the Hudson River.
—David Owen, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024
Most defunct golf courses get paved over, but a number are getting transformed into ecological life rafts for wildlife, plants — and people.
—Cara Buckley, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024
The case comes in a variety of colors and sizes, but features the defunct airline's globular logo in a funky ’70s font.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defunct.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near defunct
Cite this Entry
“Defunct.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defunct. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
defunct
adjective
Share