diff --git a/libcxx/include/__config b/libcxx/include/__config
index 1d6dd54eeb9203..7394d443b729f6 100644
--- a/libcxx/include/__config
+++ b/libcxx/include/__config
@@ -897,10 +897,6 @@ typedef unsigned int   char32_t;
 #define _LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE2(...) extern template __VA_ARGS__;
 #endif
 
-#ifndef _LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_DEFINE
-#define _LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_DEFINE(...) template __VA_ARGS__;
-#endif
-
 #if defined(__APPLE__) || defined(__FreeBSD__) || defined(_LIBCPP_MSVCRT_LIKE) || \
     defined(__sun__) || defined(__NetBSD__) || defined(__CloudABI__)
 #define _LIBCPP_LOCALE__L_EXTENSIONS 1
diff --git a/libcxx/include/__string b/libcxx/include/__string
index 1bbfbbacf959d1..056b9b80ea509f 100644
--- a/libcxx/include/__string
+++ b/libcxx/include/__string
@@ -70,60 +70,6 @@ _LIBCPP_PUSH_MACROS
 
 _LIBCPP_BEGIN_NAMESPACE_STD
 
-// The the extern template ABI lists are kept outside of <string> to improve the
-// readability of that header.
-
-#define _LIBCPP_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_Func, _CharType) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::replace(size_type, size_type, value_type const*, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::rfind(value_type const*, size_type, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS void basic_string<_CharType>::__init(value_type const*, size_type, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::basic_string(basic_string const&)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::replace(size_type, size_type, value_type const*)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::basic_string(basic_string const&, std::allocator<_CharType> const&)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::find_last_not_of(value_type const*, size_type, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::~basic_string()) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::find_first_not_of(value_type const*, size_type, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::insert(size_type, size_type, value_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::operator=(value_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS void basic_string<_CharType>::__init(value_type const*, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS const _CharType& basic_string<_CharType>::at(size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::insert(size_type, value_type const*, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::find_first_of(value_type const*, size_type, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::replace(size_type, size_type, size_type, value_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::assign(value_type const*, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS void basic_string<_CharType>::reserve(size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::append(value_type const*, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::assign(basic_string const&, size_type, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::copy(value_type*, size_type, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::basic_string(basic_string const&, size_type, size_type, std::allocator<_CharType> const&)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::find(value_type, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS void basic_string<_CharType>::__init(size_type, value_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::insert(size_type, value_type const*)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::find_last_of(value_type const*, size_type, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS void basic_string<_CharType>::__grow_by(size_type, size_type, size_type, size_type, size_type, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS void basic_string<_CharType>::__grow_by_and_replace(size_type, size_type, size_type, size_type, size_type, size_type, value_type const*)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS void basic_string<_CharType>::push_back(value_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::append(size_type, value_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::rfind(value_type, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::npos) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::assign(size_type, value_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::erase(size_type, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::append(basic_string const&, size_type, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS int basic_string<_CharType>::compare(value_type const*) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS int basic_string<_CharType>::compare(size_type, size_type, value_type const*) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS _CharType& basic_string<_CharType>::at(size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::assign(value_type const*)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::size_type basic_string<_CharType>::find(value_type const*, size_type, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS int basic_string<_CharType>::compare(size_type, size_type, basic_string const&, size_type, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS int basic_string<_CharType>::compare(size_type, size_type, value_type const*, size_type) const) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::operator=(basic_string const&)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::append(value_type const*)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::replace(size_type, size_type, basic_string const&, size_type, size_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>::iterator basic_string<_CharType>::insert(basic_string::const_iterator, value_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS void basic_string<_CharType>::resize(size_type, value_type)) \
-  _Func(_LIBCPP_FUNC_VIS basic_string<_CharType>& basic_string<_CharType>::insert(size_type, basic_string const&, size_type, size_type))
-
-
 // char_traits
 
 template <class _CharT>
diff --git a/libcxx/include/string b/libcxx/include/string
index 70093a89714edc..8a0ac844470ce1 100644
--- a/libcxx/include/string
+++ b/libcxx/include/string
@@ -1676,8 +1676,6 @@ basic_string(basic_string_view<_CharT, _Traits>, _Sz, _Sz, const _Allocator& = _
   -> basic_string<_CharT, _Traits, _Allocator>;
 #endif
 
-_LIBCPP_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE, char)
-_LIBCPP_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE, wchar_t)
 
 template <class _CharT, class _Traits, class _Allocator>
 inline
@@ -4332,6 +4330,8 @@ basic_string<_CharT, _Traits, _Allocator>::__subscriptable(const const_iterator*
 
 #endif  // _LIBCPP_DEBUG_LEVEL >= 2
 
+_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE(class _LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_TYPE_VIS basic_string<char>)
+_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE(class _LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_TYPE_VIS basic_string<wchar_t>)
 
 #if _LIBCPP_STD_VER > 11
 // Literal suffixes for basic_string [basic.string.literals]
diff --git a/libcxx/src/string.cpp b/libcxx/src/string.cpp
index 1e98c686cbcfb0..4802d63c811ba3 100644
--- a/libcxx/src/string.cpp
+++ b/libcxx/src/string.cpp
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ _LIBCPP_BEGIN_NAMESPACE_STD
 
 template class _LIBCPP_CLASS_TEMPLATE_INSTANTIATION_VIS __basic_string_common<true>;
 
-_LIBCPP_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_DEFINE, char)
-_LIBCPP_STRING_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_LIST(_LIBCPP_EXTERN_TEMPLATE_DEFINE, wchar_t)
+template class _LIBCPP_CLASS_TEMPLATE_INSTANTIATION_VIS basic_string<char>;
+template class _LIBCPP_CLASS_TEMPLATE_INSTANTIATION_VIS basic_string<wchar_t>;
 
 template
     string