obsolete

[ob-suh-leet, ob-suh-leet]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obsolete ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date: an obsolete battleship.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.

verb (used with object), ob·so·let·ed, ob·so·let·ing.

to make obsolete by replacing with something newer or better; antiquate: Automation has obsoleted many factory workers.

Origin of obsolete

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

Related formsob·so·lete·ly, adverbob·so·lete·ness, nounnon·ob·so·lete, adjectivesub·ob·so·lete, adjectivesub·ob·so·lete·ly, adverbsub·ob·so·lete·ness, nounun·ob·so·lete, adjective

Can be confusedarchaic obsolescent obsoleteobsolescent obsolete

Synonyms for obsolete

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR obsolete ON THESAURUS.COM

2. antiquated, ancient, old.

Antonyms for obsolete

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. 2019

Related Words for obsolete

antiquated, archaic, outmoded, out-of-date, ancient, antediluvian, antique, bygone, dated, dead, discarded, dusty, extinct, fossil, gone, kaput, moldy, moth-eaten, old, old-fashioned

Examples from the Web for obsolete

Contemporary Examples of obsolete

That data (collected in 2012 and 2013) is obsolete: Jesse Logan confirms both areas are “now showing significant mortality.”
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear
Doug Peacock
November 23, 2014
And fashion editor Lynn Yaeger thinks print magazines are becoming "obsolete."
Kate Hudson Defends Butt Implants; Cara Delevingne Is Designing For DKNY
The Fashion Beast Team
June 10, 2014
Getting rid of obsolete laws is not something Congress does often.
Government Has Made America Inept
Philip K. Howard
May 4, 2014
Navigating this brave new world is the inventively-named Anana, an employee at a soon to be obsolete print dictionary.
This Week’s Hot Reads: April 21, 2014
Thomas Flynn
April 22, 2014
But Predators are vulnerable to even the most obsolete surface-to-air missiles or air-to-air fighter aircraft.
The Killer Drone Goes Stealthy—Just in Time for a New Cold War
Zach Rosenberg
April 16, 2014

Historical Examples of obsolete

In this sense the word is obsolete; so is that kind of government.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
If we used 'em all the time they wouldn't get obsolete, would they?
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
Wheelwrighting is fast becoming an obsolete art in the North.
The American Missionary--Volume 39, No. 02, February, 1885
Various
Nothing can be obsolete that is of divine institution, your Eminence.
The Eternal City
Hall Caine
Fortunately, this type was not used extensively, and the battery is obsolete.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte

British Dictionary definitions for obsolete

obsolete

adjective

out of use or practice; not current

out of date; unfashionable or outmoded

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

Derived Formsobsoletely, adverbobsoleteness, noun

Word Origin for obsolete

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

adj.

1570s, from Latin obsoletus "grown old, worn out," past participle of obsolescere "fall into disuse," probably from ob "away" (see ob-) + an expanded form of solere "to be used to, be accustomed" (see insolent).