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.
His subjects, he tells us, have dispensed with outmoded theology and instead put ritual to its proper use as a useful technological aid to social connection and cohesion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
At the same time, Xi had to contend with an outmoded command structure that was seen as susceptible to corruption and ill-equipped to fight modern wars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
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
And right on cue, with “Sinners” in its second weekend dominating the box office with sold-out screenings, is a Deadline article detailing Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos saying the theatrical experience is outmoded.
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2025
One was an old hand-drawn affair tracing out an acre or two of land, and marked with the now outmoded pictographs of old China.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
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.
