outdated
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of outdated
Explanation
Anything that's so old-fashioned that it's unstylish or not useful is outdated. You might love the way an antique car looks, but its outdated safety standards (no seat belts or airbags) make it dangerous to drive on the highway. The 70s bell-bottom jeans your aunt still wears might be embarrassingly outdated, but at least they function as pants. Your outdated computer, on the other hand, isn't even capable of getting online or connecting to your printer — in other words, it's obsolete, or completely useless. This adjective dates from the early 1600s, from the "mark as old fashioned" meaning of the verb date.
Vocabulary lists containing outdated
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Older data centers did rely heavily on evaporative cooling, much like an outdated car relied on a carburetor.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
At Friday's session, US deputy ambassador Jeffrey Bartos said the existing embargo was "outdated" and "insufficient to address the realities of the war today".
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
While it is trendy for companies to create chief AI officer positions, he predicts every C-suite job will ultimately require AI savvy and specialized roles will become outdated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The AAP guidance also highlights research that challenges the outdated assumption that more time devoted to classroom instruction equals more learning.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
By the eighteenth century astrology itself was generally regarded as outdated.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
