obsolete
[ob-suh-leet, ob-suh-leet]
- no longer in general use; fallen into disuse: an obsolete expression.
- of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date: an obsolete battleship.
- (of a linguistic form) no longer in use, especially, out of use for at least the past century.Compare archaic.
- effaced by wearing down or away.
- Biology. imperfectly developed or rudimentary in comparison with the corresponding character in other individuals, as of the opposite sex or of a related species.
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- to make obsolete by replacing with something newer or better; antiquate: Automation has obsoleted many factory workers.
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Origin of obsolete
Synonyms
See more synonyms for obsolete on Thesaurus.com2. antiquated, ancient, old.
Antonyms
1, 2. new, modern.
Usage note
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for obsolete
Contemporary Examples
That data (collected in 2012 and 2013) is obsolete: Jesse Logan confirms both areas are “now showing significant mortality.”
And fashion editor Lynn Yaeger thinks print magazines are becoming "obsolete."
Kate Hudson Defends Butt Implants; Cara Delevingne Is Designing For DKNYThe Fashion Beast Team
June 10, 2014
Getting rid of obsolete laws is not something Congress does often.
Navigating this brave new world is the inventively-named Anana, an employee at a soon to be obsolete print dictionary.
But Predators are vulnerable to even the most obsolete surface-to-air missiles or air-to-air fighter aircraft.
Historical Examples
In this sense the word is obsolete; so is that kind of government.
The Devil's DictionaryAmbrose Bierce
If we used 'em all the time they wouldn't get obsolete, would they?
Tiverton TalesAlice Brown
Wheelwrighting is fast becoming an obsolete art in the North.
Nothing can be obsolete that is of divine institution, your Eminence.
The Eternal CityHall Caine
Fortunately, this type was not used extensively, and the battery is obsolete.
The Automobile Storage BatteryO. A. Witte
obsolete
- out of use or practice; not current
- out of date; unfashionable or outmoded
- biology (of parts, organs, etc) vestigial; rudimentary
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin obsolētus worn out, past participle of obsolēre (unattested), from ob- opposite to + solēre to be used
usage
The word obsoleteness is hardly ever used, obsolescence standing as the noun form for both obsolete and obsolescent
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 obsolete
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper