obsolescence

[ ob-suh-les-uhns ]

noun

1. the state, process, or condition of being or becoming obsolete.

obsolescence

1. A decline in the value of equipment or of a product brought about by an introduction of new technology or by changes in demand . ( See planned obsolescence .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsolescence¹

First recorded in 1820–30; obsolesc(ent) + -ence

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, newspapers continue to fight an uphill battle to get users to pay for digital content as their print editions fade into obsolescence.

From Los Angeles Times

Existential obsolescence breeds anger, resentment, irrationality and violence.

From Salon

At 39 — and with a pair of largely unsuccessful LPs behind her in 2020’s “Smile” and 2017’s “Witness” — Perry is already past the age when female pop stars encounter the brutal disinterest of a music business preoccupied with novelty and youth; indeed, she was battling the perception of obsolescence even before the emergence this past summer of Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, both of whom no doubt put the scare into a superstar like 31-year-old Ariana Grande.

From Los Angeles Times

With each technological shift, the scintillation of new possibilities meets the tug of obsolescence.

From New York Times

Though 24 still stood on Seattle sidewalks in 1950, the city considered banning them in 1953 because of their “obsolescence and homeliness,” the same report said.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• annihilation
• destruction
• elimination