What does "defunct" mean?
The dead person (referred to).
Defunct
/ˌdiˈfʌŋkt/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The dead person (referred to).
- Grammar: defunct is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abolished, ago, all bets off, all gone.
- Useful contrasts: active, afloat, effective.
- Usage evidence: If you look over there, you can see a defunct water tower.
How to use "defunct"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "defunct" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "defunct" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "defunct" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "defunct" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "defunct" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abolished" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "defunct", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The dead person (referred to).
"A small tablet is fixt near the Altar, upon wᶜʰ the friends of yᵉ defunct lay their offerings in mony according to their own ability and the quality of the person deceased."
Verb
- 1 To make defunct.
Adjective
- 1 No longer in use or active, nor expected to be again.
"[T]he engineer must solve the mysteries of boiler accidents by studying defunct structures of many different types."
- 2 No longer in use or active, nor expected to be again.; No longer in business or service, nor expected to be again; out of business.
- 3 Specifically, of a process: having terminated but not having been reaped (by its parent or an inheritor), and thus still occupying a process slot. See also zombie, zombie process.
- 4 (of a language) No longer spoken.
"When a language dies members of the culture of which that language was once a part may attempt to hold on to their linguistic heritage, if not by the use of the defunct language itself, at least by the preservation of its script."
- 5 Deceased, dead. archaic
"The organs, though defunct and dead before, / Break up their drowsy grave and newly move"
Adjective
- 1 having ceased to exist or live wordnet
- 2 no longer in force or use; inactive wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"If you look over there, you can see a defunct water tower."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "defunct"?
Common synonyms include: abolished, ago, all bets off, all gone, all off, all over.
How do you use "defunct" in a sentence?
If you look over there, you can see a defunct water tower.
How do you pronounce "defunct"?
Pronounced /ˌdiˈfʌŋkt/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin dēfunctus, past participle of dēfungor (“to finish, discharge”).