# defunct

> English word · Adjective · IPA /dɪˈfʌŋkt/ · frequency rank #20,088

## Definitions
1. No longer in use or active, nor expected to be again.
2. No longer in use or active, nor expected to be again.
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.
5. Deceased, dead.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin dēfunctus, past participle of dēfungor (“to finish, discharge”).

## Easily confused with
- **defect** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/defect-vs-defunct)
- **deduct** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deduct-vs-defunct)
- **defence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/defence-vs-defunct)
- **deflect** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deflect-vs-defunct)

## Common misspellings (11)
`ddefunct`, `deffunct`, `defnuct`, `defucnt`, `defuncct`, `defunctt`, `defunnct`, `defuntc`, `deufnct`, `dfeunct`, `edfunct`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/defunct