obsolescence

[ ob-suh-les-uhns ]

/ ˌɒb səˈlɛs əns /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for obsolescence on Thesaurus.com

Definition of obsolescence

noun

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

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of obsolescence

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

Words nearby obsolescence

obsidian, obsidian dating, obsidional coin, obsolesc., obsolesce, obsolescence, obsolescent, obsolete, obstacle, obstacle course, obstacle race

How to use obsolescence in a sentence

This is advice from another century, laughable in its obsolescence.
Dark spaces on the map|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
You want to tell her that history dies as well as lives, that parts of it fade away every day, through the deaths of its makers, through forgetfulness and intentional obsolescence.
Dark spaces on the map|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The fires were major incidents in which many books were lost, but the institution of the library disappeared more gradually both through organizational neglect and through the gradual obsolescence of the papyrus scrolls themselves.
The Story of the Library of Alexandria Is Mostly a Legend, But the Lesson of Its Burning Is Still Crucial Today|Richard Ovenden|November 17, 2020|Time
In doing so, he implied the obsolescence of that most embedded of British watering holes, the pub.
Beer Countries vs. Wine Countries|Clive Irving|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

These passages feel the most lived in; aging, for Rebecca Winter, is less frightening than obsolescence.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Jan. 27, 2014|Thomas Flynn|January 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Can a consumer electronics technology help solve the environmental problems by the rampant obsolescence of consumer electronics?
ecoATM offers consumers a new way to sell used cell phones and electronic devices|Sarah Langs|September 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
(That infrastructure, by the way, comes with assorted vandalism, obsolescence, and parking logistics issues).
Electric Vehicles May Be the Green Car of the Future, But Hybrids Are the Green Car of the Present|Megan McArdle|January 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And therein lies a tale of fragility and obsolescence that can be told in two tidy charts.
Struggling PC Maker Dell Might Be Candidate for Private-Equity Buyout|Daniel Gross|January 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Some may enjoy a second life; most of them will feel only the weakness of a second obsolescence.
English: Composition and Literature|W. F. (William Franklin) Webster
It would be rash to say that it shows signs of approaching obsolescence, but that it is steadily weakening is fairly clear.
Language|Edward Sapir
Petzholdt's Bibliotheca bibliographica is a classified bibliography that shows signs of obsolescence.
A History of Bibliographies of Bibliographies|Archer Taylor
The industrial traits in this way tend to obsolescence through disuse.
The Theory of the Leisure Class|Thorstein Veblen
The assertion of the rapid obsolescence of ships of war will be dwelt upon, in the hopes of contravening it.
Lessons of the war with Spain and other articles|Alfred T. Mahan

Cultural definitions for obsolescence

obsolescence

[ (ob-suh-les-uhns) ]

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.)

obsolescence

Definition of obsolescence

Origin of obsolescence

Words nearby obsolescence

Words related to obsolescence

How to use obsolescence in a sentence

Cultural definitions for obsolescence