passe
1 Americannoun
adjective
-
no longer fashionable, in wide use, etc.; out-of-date; outmoded.
There were many photographs of passé fashions. I thought hand-cranked pencil sharpeners were passé.
- Synonyms:
- quaint, démodé, old-fashioned
-
past.
time passé.
-
past the prime of one's life.
noun
plural
passésadjective
-
out-of-date
passé ideas
-
past the prime; faded
a passé society beauty
Etymology
Origin of passe1
Literally, “passing, pass”
Origin of passé2
1765–75; < French, past participle of passer to pass
Explanation
Passé describes something that's out of style or "so yesterday!" What your parents think is cool is usually very passé, but sometimes their old stuff is stylish again, like the Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt you borrow from your mom. From the French passer, "to pass," passé came into English use in the 18th century, and its accented "é" is still used in the 21st century. Pronounced "pass-AY," the adjective passé is a classier way to call something outdated, unfashionable, and so out of touch with trends. Your floppy pop-star haircut may be passé if a crew-cut band becomes all the rage, but even saying "all the rage" is itself probably passé. If it's current and in style, it's not passé.
Vocabulary lists containing passe
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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To Kill a Mockingbird
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Ancient Wisdom: Synonyms for "Old"
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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.
But these days, many of the traditional Olympic sports are beginning to feel passe to a younger generation.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2024
While some shoppers and even Ms. Stangl see the term “work wear” as passe, Banana Republic still has a dedicated section on its website called “The Workwear Edit.”
From New York Times • Jul. 13, 2023
Pete Carroll’s coaching style was regarded as passe.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2022
Economists and policymakers have sparred in recent weeks over whether the Fed's "soft landing" aspirations are altogether passe or still credible.
From Reuters • Sep. 8, 2022
"The matters gothe nat well to passe in Englonde,” he had stated, "nor shall nat do tyll every thyng be common, and that there be no villayns nor gentylmen.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
