obsolescent

[ ob-suh-les-uhnt ]

adjective

1. becoming obsolete; passing out of use, as a word:

   an obsolescent term.

2. becoming outdated or outmoded, as machinery or weapons.
3. Biology. gradually disappearing or imperfectly developed, as vestigial organs.

obsolescent

/ ˌɒbsəˈlɛsənt /

adjective

1. becoming obsolete or out of date

Derived Forms

• ˌobsoˈlescently, adverb
• ˌobsoˈlescence, noun

Other Words From

• obso·lescent·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsolescent¹

First recorded in 1745–55, obsolescent is from the Latin word obsolēscent- (stem of obsolēscēns, present participle of obsolēscere to fall into disuse). See obsolete, -escent

Word History and Origins

Origin of obsolescent¹

C18: from Latin obsolescere; see obsolete

Example Sentences

“Without this investment strategy, much of the existing housing stock across the country would go into disrepair, become obsolescent, and in some cases become unlivable,” Schwartz said.

From Los Angeles Times

But Randolph and Hastings always planned on video streaming rendering the DVD-by-mail service obsolescent once technology advanced to the point that watching movies and TV shows through internet connections became viable.

From Seattle Times

The American mainstream news media's approaches to writing and reporting and truth-telling are obsolescent in a time of ascendant fascism and a democracy crisis.

From Salon

As a function of their obsolescent habits and norms, the American mainstream news media, especially the D.C.

From Salon

The Times’s Sarah Lyall described le Carré as “one of the last great practitioners of the increasingly obsolescent art of letter-writing.”

From New York Times