outdated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Origin of outdated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Anything that's so old-fashioned that it's unstylish or not useful is outdated. You might love the way an antique car looks, but its outdated safety standards (no seat belts or airbags) make it dangerous to drive on the highway. The 70s bell-bottom jeans your aunt still wears might be embarrassingly outdated, but at least they function as pants. Your outdated computer, on the other hand, isn't even capable of getting online or connecting to your printer — in other words, it's obsolete, or completely useless.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Vocabulary lists containing outdated
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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.
"We understand the current retail trading environment, rising costs, a significant and outdated retail footprint, and supply chain challenges have led to this point," said Christopher Hill from receivers FTI Consulting.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
It said affected outlets had "outdated security systems, with interfaces exposed directly to the internet and weaknesses in authentication mechanisms".
From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026
Far from fitting the outdated stereotype of Neanderthals as simple, brutal creatures, Shanidar A provides rare physical evidence of a society capable of both deadly violence and sustained compassion.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
Weak passwords, outdated software and poor Wi-Fi security can let strangers access your home camera.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Venkatesh soon discovered that the names and addresses he had been given were badly outdated.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
