obsolete

American  

[ob-suh-leet, ob-suh-leet] / ˌɒb səˈlit, ˈɒb səˌlit /

adjective

1. no longer in general use; fallen into disuse.

   an obsolete expression.

   Antonyms:

   modern, new

2. of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date.

   an obsolete battleship.

   Synonyms:

   old, ancient, antiquated

   Antonyms:

   modern, new

3. (of a linguistic form) no longer in use, especially, out of use for at least the past century.

4. effaced by wearing down or away.

5. Biology. imperfectly developed or rudimentary in comparison with the corresponding character in other individuals, as of a different sex or of a related species.

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verb (used with object)

obsoleted, obsoleting

1. to make obsolete by replacing with something newer or better; antiquate.

   Automation has obsoleted many factory workers.

obsolete British  

/ ˌɒbsəˈliːt, ˈɒbsəˌliːt /

adjective

1. out of use or practice; not current

2. out of date; unfashionable or outmoded

3. biology (of parts, organs, etc) vestigial; rudimentary

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Usage

Terms and definitions labeled Obsolete in this dictionary have not been in widespread use since the mid 1700s. Unlike some relatively familiar archaic words and phrases, like prithee and thou art, obsolete words and phrases are not easily understood by a modern reader, and obsolete senses of current terms, as found in definitions 13, 14, and 15 of nice, are even more difficult for a contemporary reader to recognize.

The word obsoleteness is hardly ever used, obsolescence standing as the noun form for both obsolete and obsolescent

Other Word Forms

• nonobsolete adjective
• obsoletely adverb
• obsoleteness noun
• subobsolete adjective
• subobsoletely adverb
• subobsoleteness noun
• unobsolete adjective

Etymology

Origin of obsolete

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin obsolētus, past participle of obsolēscere “to fall into disuse,” perhaps equivalent to ob- ob- + sol(ēre) “to be accustomed to” + -ēscere -esce

Explanation

Use the adjective obsolete for something that is out of date. As the Rolling Stones song "Out of Time" goes, "You're obsolete, my baby, my poor old-fashioned baby." Obsolete is from the Latin obsolescere "to fall into disuse," and it is a very handy adjective for anything that is no longer used, from words to factories to computer software to ways of thinking. Something that is obsolete has usually been displaced by a newer, shinier innovation. Compact discs made records and cassettes obsolete, and then downloadable digital music files made compact discs obsolete.

Example Sentences

Corporate America remains steadfast in the belief that companies who don’t fully learn to leverage AI will get outcompeted and become obsolete.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

In another industry, a project left in development this long might be considered obsolete.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

A narrative has arisen that AI will obsolete software vendors and their per-user subscription revenue model, and Friday’s news played into that story.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

What engrossed him and his team was the Alto’s graphical display, which was destined to make the text-only displays of contemporary computers obsolete.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

They are as obsolete as the old anecdotes in which they played their puzzling, ambiguous roles, and we have no more need for the beasts than for the stories.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

Related Words

• antiquated
• archaic
• out-of-date
• outmoded