out-of-date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   out-of-date fashions; out-of-date ideas.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out of date British  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 no longer valid, current, or fashionable; outmoded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out of date Idioms  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 Too old to be used, past the point of expiration, as in This milk is out of date .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 Old-fashioned, no longer in style, as in Dean has three suits but they're all out of date .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Origin of out-of-date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Something that's out-of-date is either old-fashioned or so old that it's invalid. That typewriter in your closet is out-of-date, as well as that acid wash denim vest. An expired driver's license is out-of-date, and the out-of-date milk in your refrigerator is pretty likely to smell sour (depending on how out-of-date it is). Another way to be out-of-date is to be hopelessly unfashionable, like your mom's out-of-date bell bottom jeans or your grandparents' out-of-date kitchen, with its appliances from 1970. You can also use the words obsolete or outdated to mean out-of-date.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

This Florida timeshare sounds like out-of-date cheese with a bad odor.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

Amodei called the memo an "out-of-date assessment of the current situation," written under duress on a day that saw his company under extreme pressure from the government.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 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There are self-reflexive meta gags about “hard-working cartoon writers” and “reappropriating out-of-date catchphrases.”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

Inspectors found that at both hospitals the service had many out-of-date policies and clinical guidelines, including those covering baby abduction and sepsis management.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

The Teacherage, which stands opposite the up-to-date school, is an out-of-date edifice, drab and poignant.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Related Words

• antiquated
• archaic
• obsolete
• outmoded