vestigial
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.
Companies have skimped on dividends amid an epic bull run for stock prices, leaving the S&P 500’s yield of just 1.1% looking like finance’s vestigial tailbone—an evolutionary holdover without a clear purpose.
From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025
A vestigial instinct made him look around for who was in charge.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025
The newspaper endorsement is in many ways vestigial from an era when these outlets wielded vastly more cultural influence than they currently do.
From Slate • Oct. 26, 2024
“Everybody thought these structures are vestigial — so without any function,” said Guido Dehnhardt, a marine mammal zoologist at the University of Rostock in Germany.
From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2023
We do see vestigial signs of automobiles in our village, but they resemble the signs of life you would dig up in a graveyard if you were inclined to that pastime.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Vocabulary lists containing vestigial
Ender's Game
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Animals (Zoology) - Middle School
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Evolutionary Biology - High School
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