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Which of these technologies is considered obsolete?

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obsolete

American  

[ob-suh-leet, ob-suh-leet] / ˌɒb səˈlit, ˈɒb səˌlit /

adjective

1. no longer in general use; fallen into disuse.

   an obsolete expression.

   Antonyms:

   modern, new

2. of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date.

   an obsolete battleship.

   Synonyms:

   old, ancient, antiquated

   Antonyms:

   modern, new

3. (of a linguistic form) no longer in use, especially, out of use for at least the past century.

4. effaced by wearing down or away.

5. Biology. imperfectly developed or rudimentary in comparison with the corresponding character in other individuals, as of a different sex or of a related species.

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verb (used with object)

obsoleted, obsoleting

1. to make obsolete by replacing with something newer or better; antiquate.

   Automation has obsoleted many factory workers.

obsolete British  

/ ˌɒbsəˈliːt, ˈɒbsəˌliːt /

adjective

1. out of use or practice; not current

2. out of date; unfashionable or outmoded

3. biology (of parts, organs, etc) vestigial; rudimentary

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Usage

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.

The word obsoleteness is hardly ever used, obsolescence standing as the noun form for both obsolete and obsolescent

Other Word Forms

• nonobsolete
  adjective
• obsoletely
  adverb
• obsoleteness
  noun
• subobsolete
  adjective
• subobsoletely
  adverb
• subobsoleteness
  noun
• unobsolete
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of obsolete

First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin obsolētus, past participle of obsolēscere “to fall into disuse,” perhaps equivalent to ob- ob- + sol(ēre) “to be accustomed to” + -ēscere -esce

Explanation

Use the adjective obsolete for something that is out of date. As the Rolling Stones song "Out of Time" goes, "You're obsolete, my baby, my poor old-fashioned baby." Obsolete is from the Latin obsolescere "to fall into disuse," and it is a very handy adjective for anything that is no longer used, from words to factories to computer software to ways of thinking. Something that is obsolete has usually been displaced by a newer, shinier innovation. Compact discs made records and cassettes obsolete, and then downloadable digital music files made compact discs obsolete.

Example Sentences

My anxiety about A.I. is not that it will make my job obsolete but that it will make me a little dumber.

From Slate • May 24, 2026

The key behind Agilysys’ solid results and big stock move is the robust subscription sales growth, which flies in the face of the broad market sentiment that AI will make software obsolete.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

They were also allowed to operate largely undetected due to minimal monitoring of their activities, the use of obsolete systems by the firm and take advantage of failures including a lack of regular security scans.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

After ramping up lending to software companies over the past decade—partly for their recurring revenue—many funds are now contending with the possibility that artificial intelligence could render those companies obsolete.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

Instead of his personal treasure chest, which is full of his action figures, Lego sets, and collection of obsolete computer parts Dad has given him, there’s a fancy-looking high-backed chair and ottoman.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

Related Words

• antiquated
• archaic
• out-of-date
• outmoded