Jump to:

• out-of-date
  out-of-date

  adjective

  gone out of style or fashion; outmoded; obsolete.
• out of date
  out of date

  adjective

  no longer valid, current, or fashionable; outmoded

out-of-date

American  

[out-uhv-deyt] / ˈaʊt əvˈdeɪt /

adjective

1. gone out of style or fashion; outmoded; obsolete.

   out-of-date fashions; out-of-date ideas.

---

out of date British  

adjective

1. no longer valid, current, or fashionable; outmoded

---

out of date Idioms  

1. Too old to be used, past the point of expiration, as in This milk is out of date . [Early 1600s]

2. Old-fashioned, no longer in style, as in Dean has three suits but they're all out of date . [Early 1800s]

---

Other Word Forms

• out-of-dateness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of out-of-date

First recorded in 1620–30

Explanation

Something that's out-of-date is either old-fashioned or so old that it's invalid. That typewriter in your closet is out-of-date, as well as that acid wash denim vest. An expired driver's license is out-of-date, and the out-of-date milk in your refrigerator is pretty likely to smell sour (depending on how out-of-date it is). Another way to be out-of-date is to be hopelessly unfashionable, like your mom's out-of-date bell bottom jeans or your grandparents' out-of-date kitchen, with its appliances from 1970. You can also use the words obsolete or outdated to mean out-of-date.

Example Sentences

The trade association for the nursing-home industry downplayed the report, arguing it was based on a small and out-of-date sample.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

There are self-reflexive meta gags about “hard-working cartoon writers” and “reappropriating out-of-date catchphrases.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

According to him, both the public and designers are no longer looking for one-season pieces which are quickly out-of-date, instead opting for styling that will stand the test of time.

From Barron's • Jan. 25, 2026

Inspectors found that at both hospitals the service had many out-of-date policies and clinical guidelines, including those covering baby abduction and sepsis management.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

So they wheeze along, out-of-date and sometimes counterproductive, but a necessary consequence of our evolution.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• antiquated
• archaic
• obsolete
• outmoded