out-of-date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   out-of-date fashions; out-of-date ideas.

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out of date British  

adjective

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 no longer valid, current, or fashionable; outmoded

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out of date Idioms  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 Too old to be used, past the point of expiration, as in This milk is out of date .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 Old-fashioned, no longer in style, as in Dean has three suits but they're all out of date .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]

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Origin of out-of-date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Something that's out-of-date is either old-fashioned or so old that it's invalid. That typewriter in your closet is out-of-date, as well as that acid wash denim vest. An expired driver's license is out-of-date, and the out-of-date milk in your refrigerator is pretty likely to smell sour (depending on how out-of-date it is). Another way to be out-of-date is to be hopelessly unfashionable, like your mom's out-of-date bell bottom jeans or your grandparents' out-of-date kitchen, with its appliances from 1970. You can also use the words obsolete or outdated to mean out-of-date.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The trade association for the nursing-home industry downplayed the report, arguing it was based on a small and out-of-date sample.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

Amodei called the memo an "out-of-date assessment of the current situation," written under duress on a day that saw his company under extreme pressure from the government.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

The other embraced the insult, saying: “We’re an out-of-date, birdbrain of a store!”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

BBC journalists were able to order so-called skinny jabs to Northern Ireland from Voy and MedExpress using false data and out-of-date images, with no further verification required.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

Hominy Ridge was nothing but an out-of-date, unimproved, one-room country schoolhouse in the backwoodsiest corner of Indiana.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• antiquated
• archaic
• obsolete
• outmoded