outdated
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of outdated
Explanation
Anything that's so old-fashioned that it's unstylish or not useful is outdated. You might love the way an antique car looks, but its outdated safety standards (no seat belts or airbags) make it dangerous to drive on the highway. The 70s bell-bottom jeans your aunt still wears might be embarrassingly outdated, but at least they function as pants. Your outdated computer, on the other hand, isn't even capable of getting online or connecting to your printer — in other words, it's obsolete, or completely useless. This adjective dates from the early 1600s, from the "mark as old fashioned" meaning of the verb date.
Vocabulary lists containing outdated
"Notable Southerners: Althea Gibson"
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Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 5)
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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The old bottles were largely black and white and looked a little outdated.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
Education has become an outdated concept embraced only by us old and naive alumni.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
That’s pretty good but might soon be outdated.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
If eligibility for schemes is based on faulty or outdated data, the number of beneficiaries can be misjudged, distorting delivery.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
His smelly old swallowtail coat was hopelessly outdated by then, but he wouldn’t hear of parting with it.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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.
