planned obsolescence

American  

noun

1. a method of stimulating consumer demand by designing products that wear out or become outmoded after limited use.

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planned obsolescence British  

noun

1. Also called: built-in obsolescence.  the policy of deliberately limiting the life of a product in order to encourage the purchaser to replace it

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planned obsolescence Cultural  

1. Incorporating into a product features that will almost certainly go out of favor in a short time, thereby inducing the consumer to purchase a new model of the product. Placing sweeping tail fins on an automobile was an example of planned obsolescence.

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Etymology

Origin of planned obsolescence

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

A French consumer advocacy group filed the claim alleging "planned obsolescence" in 2020, saying the Japanese giant knew some controllers were failing too quickly.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Smith sees the planned obsolescence of modern consumer tech — and tech companies' fight against right-to-repair — as anathema to the legacy of pinball.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2023

“It was planned obsolescence, but our bet was that it would take longer for it to happen than most people thought at the time,” Randolph said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 25, 2022

Machines can’t succeed in the trolley problem because they do not know what it means to die, even if they do undergo planned obsolescence.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2021

My excuse is that in this era of planned obsolescence, when a thing breaks down I can usually find something in my collection to repair it—a toilet, or a motor, or a lawn mower.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck