Meaning & use
extant literature
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Meanings
phraseuncountableformal
The written works on a particular subject that still exist and can be studied today.
Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase: the extant literature on something. Do not say an extant literature or extant literatures in this sense.
Patterns
- the extant literature on something
- review the extant literature
- the extant literature suggests something
The extant literature on sleep and memory is large but inconsistent.
She reviewed the extant literature before designing her own experiment.
According to the extant literature, the effect is small but real.
phraseuncountableformal
The surviving texts or documents from a past period or culture.
Grammar: Often used when historians talk about what has survived from ancient times, as opposed to what has been lost.
Patterns
- the extant literature of a period
- survive in the extant literature
The extant literature of the period gives us only a partial picture.
Most of what we know comes from the extant literature of the monastery.
Common combinations
- review the extant literature
- The team reviewed the extant literature on the topic before starting.
- the extant literature on something
- The extant literature on the subject is surprisingly thin.
- the extant literature suggests
- The extant literature suggests that the treatment works for some patients.
- a gap in the extant literature
- Her study fills a gap in the extant literature.
Synonyms and how they differ
- existing research
- A more general phrase that can include unpublished or non-written work; extant literature usually refers specifically to written publications that still exist.
- published work
- Focuses on works that have been published; extant literature can also include unpublished manuscripts that survive.
Opposites
Commonly confused: extant literature or extent?
extant literature vs extent
Extent means how large or serious something is, while extant means still existing. They sound similar but are different words.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'extant literature' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Extant literature' refers to written works that still exist on a subject, so the first sentence fits. The second confuses it with 'extent', the third treats it as a countable object, and the fourth treats it as a physical thing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “extant literature”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.