extant
Americanadjective
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in existence; still existing; not destroyed or lost.
There are only three extant copies of the document.
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Archaic. standing out; protruding.
adjective
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still in existence; surviving
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archaic standing out; protruding
Usage
Extant is sometimes wrongly used simply to say that something exists, without any connotation of survival: plutonium is perhaps the deadliest element in existence (not the deadliest element extant )
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of extant
1535–45; < Latin ex ( s ) tant- (stem of ex ( s ) tāns ) standing out, present participle of exstāre, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + stāre to stand
Explanation
Use the adjective extant to describe old things that are still around, like your extant diary from third grade or the only extant piece of pottery from certain craftspeople who lived hundreds of years ago. Extant is the opposite of extinct: it refers to things that are here — they haven't disappeared or been destroyed. Use extant to describe things that it may be surprising to learn are still around — you wouldn't say jeans you bought last year are extant, but a pair of jeans worn by Marilyn Monroe back in the 1950s? Definitely extant.
Vocabulary lists containing extant
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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The Scarlet Letter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We were amazed to find that C. theotonicus grouped with extant placental mammals, being clearly distinct from other amniotes like reptiles or birds," said Gaetano.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
Self-proclaimed as “the most comprehensive Etruscan exhibition ever staged outside of Italy,” the exhibition showcases about 175 items, from intricate metalwork to lustrous pottery to a remnant of Europe’s oldest extant book.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Such litigation has continued this year, relying on state laws and extant FTC guidelines to hit back at companies like Spotify and Gymshark.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
State police "would help fill the yawning gaps in extant policing framework," Femi Mimiko, a political science professor at Obafemi Awolowo University, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
It was also during that time that a starving young artist, who had been given lodging in the house out of pity, paid for his stay by painting the only extant portrait of Clara.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
