planned obsolescence

American  

noun

1. a method of stimulating consumer demand by designing products that wear out or become outmoded after limited use.

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planned obsolescence British  

noun

1. Also called: built-in obsolescence.  the policy of deliberately limiting the life of a product in order to encourage the purchaser to replace it

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planned obsolescence Cultural  

1. Incorporating into a product features that will almost certainly go out of favor in a short time, thereby inducing the consumer to purchase a new model of the product. Placing sweeping tail fins on an automobile was an example of planned obsolescence.

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Etymology

Origin of planned obsolescence

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

The EU's consumer strategy presented on Wednesday seeks to promote sustainable consumption and prevent planned obsolescence, which is when companies programme products to become out of date after a certain period.

From Barron's • Nov. 19, 2025

Because he collects and dissects so many discarded and auctioned-off laptops and phones, he has a unique vantage point on the wasteful effects of planned obsolescence and technology addiction.

From New York Times • Apr. 25, 2024

Smith sees the planned obsolescence of modern consumer tech — and tech companies' fight against right-to-repair — as anathema to the legacy of pinball.

From Salon • Jun. 18, 2023

My forthcoming book, Death Glitch: How Techno-Solutionism Fails Us in This Life and Beyond, explores the fundamental incompatibility between dreams of technologically mediated life extension and the planned obsolescence of material technologies.

From Slate • Apr. 30, 2022

My excuse is that in this era of planned obsolescence, when a thing breaks down I can usually find something in my collection to repair it—a toilet, or a motor, or a lawn mower.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck