obsolescent

American  

[ob-suh-les-uhnt] / ˌɒb səˈlɛs ənt /

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 becoming outdated or outmoded, as machinery or weapons.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.

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obsolescent British  

/ ˌɒbsəˈlɛsənt /

adjective

1. becoming obsolete or out of date

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Other Word Forms

• obsolescence noun
• obsolescently adverb

Etymology

Origin of obsolescent

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

Example Sentences

As traditional, human-dependent techniques and analog approaches to creation fade away, it makes the spirit of these increasingly obsolescent facets of society all the more precious.

From Los Angeles Times

It was opened in 1974 and is now considered obsolescent; a replacement site in Maryland has already been chosen.

From Salon

“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 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