SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
defunct
adjective
No longer existing or functioning.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
No longer functioning
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topDefunct usually means an organization or practice has ceased to operate. Inactive can be temporary; obsolete means outmoded and does not rule out continued operation.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See defunct in use
The archive preserved newsletters from a defunct neighborhood club.
The defunct club no longer held meetings or maintained a membership list, but that did not make every object it owned worthless.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license