obsolescent

[ ob-suh-les-uh nt ]

/ ˌɒb səˈlɛs ənt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obsolescent ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

becoming obsolete; passing out of use, as a word: an obsolescent term.

becoming outdated or outmoded, as machinery or weapons.

Biology. gradually disappearing or imperfectly developed, as vestigial organs.

RELATED WORDS

out-of-date, senescent

Nearby words

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

Related formsob·so·les·cent·ly, adverb

Can be confusedarchaic obsolescent obsoleteobsolescent obsolete

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for obsolescent

And they are living reminders that one day even Rupert will be obsolescent.
The Murdoch Family Succession Psychodrama|Alex Massie|November 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The obsolescent Atahocan seems to have had no moral activity.
Myth, Ritual, and Religion, Vol. 1|Andrew Lang
There is another word, a synonym, which is now obsolescent, though it is at times used in poetry.
H. R.|Edwin Lefevre
But Atahocan is obsolescent, and his name is nearly equivalent to an old wife's fable, a story of events au temps jadis.
Myth, Ritual And Religion, Vol. 2 (of 2)|Andrew Lang

The methods of burning cement described above are obsolescent.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 6|Various
His original instructions were obsolescent and he readily adapted himself to the altered situation.
A Handbook of the Boer War|Gale and Polden, Limited

British Dictionary definitions for obsolescent

obsolescent

/ (ˌɒbsəˈlɛsənt) /

adjective

becoming obsolete or out of date

Derived Formsobsolescence, nounobsolescently, adverb

Word Origin for obsolescent

C18: from Latin obsolescere; see obsolete

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for obsolescent

obsolescent

adj.

1755, from Latin obsolescentum (nominative obsolescens), present participle of obsolescere "fall into disuse" (see obsolete).