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 of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date.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 out of date; unfashionable or outmoded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

Example Sentences

Software stocks have taken a beating in recent months amid some skepticism in the market over whether AI investments will pay off—or perhaps that AI itself will eventually make application software obsolete.

From Barron's

Other drawbacks include the rapid advances of AI chips which could make an orbiting data center quickly obsolete, as well as the difficulty in fixing a malfunctioning satellite.

From Los Angeles Times

That means, yes, it will make some jobs obsolete.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Army wants to change not just what it buys but how it buys, since fast-paced technological shifts can render new equipment obsolete within months.

From The Wall Street Journal

Software stocks such as Adobe, Docusign, Workday and Nice have been hit hard by fears that AI will render traditional software solutions obsolete, and Ives doesn’t think they’ll be able to stage a comeback.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

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• out-of-date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