defunct

[ dih-fuhngkt ]

adjective

1. no longer in effect or use; not operating or functioning:

   a defunct law; a defunct organization.

2. no longer in existence; dead; extinct:

   a defunct person; a defunct tribe of Indians.

noun

1. the defunct, the dead person referred to:

   the survivors of the defunct.

defunct

/ dɪˈfʌŋkt /

adjective

1. no longer living; dead or extinct
2. no longer operative or valid

Derived Forms

• deˈfunctness, noun
• deˈfunctive, adjective

Other Words From

• de·functness noun
• nonde·funct adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of defunct¹

1540–50; < Latin dēfunctus discharged, dead (past participle of dēfungī ), equivalent to dē- de- + functus performed; function

Word History and Origins

Origin of defunct¹

C16: from Latin dēfungī to discharge (one's obligations), die; see de- , function

Example Sentences

He and Burns fought for the now-defunct Blackzilians, a team of professional fighters based in South Florida, starting in 2011.

From Washington Post

Casey Primozic, the programmer who created the now-defunct app, tweeted his finding in May that he had traced large volumes of traffic back to servers that appeared to belong to those firms.

From Washington Post

It started working with now-defunct WPP-owned Triad more than a decade ago to sell ads on its Walmart and Sam’s Club sites, for example.

From Digiday

Another is that, even as an episode of MTV’s defunct teen self-actualization reality series Made, it would feel a bit lazy.

From Time

It’s unclear when Greene first recorded the post, but she said she was working on behalf of American Truth Seekers, a now-defunct blog devoted to conspiracy theories.

From Washington Post

Ed first appeared in 1987 on City By Night, a talk show on Newton Cable, a now-defunct offbeat indie cable network.

From The Daily Beast

Does this mean Bad Gal Ri-Ri's now defunct account on the social media site may have an effect on what people are buying?

From The Daily Beast

At the same time as I was studying, I was freelancing as a sub-editor for a national newspaper—the now defunct Sunday Tribune.

From The Daily Beast

“The Democratic Party is just about defunct in the South,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

Recent scrutiny—and the Japanese fallout—led to a suspension from his current job with the defunct ministry.

From The Daily Beast

Le 134 defunct estoit couch sur vn ais appuy de quatre fourches, & fut couvert de peaux.

From Project Gutenberg

At her bosom she wore a great brooch, containing intertwined locks of a grandfather and grandmother long since defunct.

From Project Gutenberg

Chartism is defunct, notwithstanding the efforts made by its dishonoured and discomfited leaders to revive it.

From Project Gutenberg

And Paul was sorely puzzled, whether the encomium applied to the defunct or himself.

From Project Gutenberg

"Posin's done ferrying now," said Dan Rudder, one of the defunct's old companions in the service of Roughgrove.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• nonexistent
• obsolete
• vanished