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

See Examples For:

planned obsolescence

Acme is essentially running our society, too, crushing consumers with shrinkflation, planned obsolescence and help lines staffed by AI bots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

A French consumer advocacy group filed the claim alleging "planned obsolescence" in 2020, saying the Japanese giant knew some controllers were failing too quickly.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

The revolt of the machines is less dramatic than our ancestors dreamed: You disconnect a switch, you go on a trip, you break the charger, you let planned obsolescence do its thing.

From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2023

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 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