outmoded
Americanadjective
-
gone out of style; no longer fashionable.
outmoded styles.
- Synonyms:
- old-fashioned, dated, unfashionable
-
not acceptable by present standards; no longer usable; obsolete.
outmoded dwellings; outmoded teaching methods.
adjective
-
no longer fashionable or widely accepted
-
no longer practical or usable
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of outmoded
Explanation
Something that is outmoded is no longer cool or in style, like your dad's outmoded hairstyle that he's had since he was in high school. The French are known for their sense of fashion and style, so it's no surprise that they coined the word démodé to describe things that are no longer cool. De- means "out, off, away" and mode means "fashion." The English word outmoded is simply a translation of démodé: "out of fashion" or "out of style."
Vocabulary lists containing outmoded
A Raisin in the Sun
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Ancient Wisdom: Synonyms for "Old"
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167 Vocabulary words from the Supreme Court's DOMA Decision
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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.
The wall text quotes Mr. Walther acknowledging that it was their systematic documentation of outmoded industrial structures that first got him interested in photography, and his collection includes many examples.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026
Traditional moviegoing is outmoded for most people, he said at a Time magazine event this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025
Calling it a picture of the American dream would be reductive, diminishing all of the work that Escola has done to apply it to an outmoded path toward prosperity.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2025
You’re shooting in this somewhat outmoded format of VistaVision.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025
However, it occurs to me that perhaps what one takes objection to is, specifically, the outmoded understanding of what a 'distinguished household' is, rather than to the general principle being expressed.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
