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Synonyms

superannuate

American  
[soo-per-an-yoo-ayt] / ˌsu pərˈæn juˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

superannuated, superannuating
  1. to allow to retire from service or office on a pension because of age or infirmity.

  2. to set aside as out of date; remove as too old.


verb (used without object)

superannuated, superannuating
  1. to be or become old, out of date, or retired.

superannuate British  
/ ˌsuːpərˈænjʊˌeɪt /

verb

  1. to pension off

  2. to discard as obsolete or old-fashioned

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of superannuate

First recorded in 1640–50; back formation from superannuated


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.

See Examples For:

But no time can superannuate the subjects which Burns has sung; they are rooted in the primary strata, which are steadfast.

From Robert Burns by John Campbell Shairp

As he increased in years so did he in his abstractions of mind, and the governors of the charity thought it necessary to superannuate him with a pension.

From Jacob Faithful by Frederick Marryat

He was as ready to offer compensation as we ourselves are when we superannuate a clerk or suppress an office.

From Davenport Dunn, Volume 1 (of 2) A Man Of Our Day by Charles James Lever

A superannuate is one who has become impaired or disabled by length of years.

From Orthography As Outlined in the State Course of Study for Illinois by Elmer W. Cavins

Nothing can superannuate its charm, nothing can quench its fascination.

From The Bridling of Pegasus Prose Papers on Poetry by Alfred Austin

And yet the digital media giant, which recently began hijacking Christmas with the NFL, continues to lean in to these superannuated sports fliers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

Disney may have figured that it had a couple of surefire hits in its pipeline with “The Marvels” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” a sequel in that already superannuated series.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2024

Our health care, housing, recreation and retirement institutions are not set up to manage the needs of the superannuated.

From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2021

Typically, promising stars are put through a gruelling training schedule as they pass along the conveyor-belt production of new girl and boybands to replace their quickly superannuated colleagues.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 22, 2019

At about one o’clock we came at last to old 64, a lonesome, superannuated two-lane road through the mountains.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

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