obsolete
1 of 2adjective
ob·so·lete ˌäb-sə-ˈlēt 
ˈäb-sə-ˌlēt
1
a
: no longer in use or no longer useful
an obsolete word
b
: of a kind or style no longer current : old-fashioned
an obsolete technology
farming methods that are now obsolete
2
of a plant or animal part : indistinct or imperfect as compared with a corresponding part in related organisms : vestigial
obsoletely adverb
obsoleteness noun
obsolete
2 of 2verb
obsoleted; obsoleting
transitive verb
: to make (something) old-fashioned or no longer useful : make obsolete
Synonyms
Adjective
- antiquated
- archaic
- dated
- démodé
- demoded
- fossilized
- kaput
- kaputt
- medieval
- mediaeval
- moribund
- mossy
- moth-eaten
- neolithic
- Noachian
- outdated
- outmoded
- out-of-date
- outworn
- passé
- prehistoric
- prehistorical
- rusty
- Stone Age
- superannuated
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective It may not be welcome news in her home state of Pennsylvania, but chemist Cynthia Kuper could help make steel obsolete. Experimenting with carbon nanotubes, structures a few atoms wide but 100 times stronger and much lighter than steel, Kuper calls her work an "amusement park discovery." 
Joanna Chung, Newsweek, 23 Sept. 2002 He exercised a right so rare, at this the fag-end of the century, as to be practically obsolete. The most fundamental right of all. The right to be the good guy. Zadie Smith, White Teeth, 2000 I never had parents, really. My mom was gone, my dad was at work or with his girlfriends, we had baby-sitters. My parents were obsolete. Jonathan Kozol, Voices From the Future, 1993 The system was made obsolete by their invention. I was told my old printer is obsolete and I can't get replacement parts. Verb While many … do describe various small, quick-loading 35mm film cartridges, modern technology has obsoleted these. Herbert Keppler, Popular Photography, November 1993 … older cpu's whose speed and efficiency never were fully tapped before they were effectively obsoleted by their manufacturers … Edith Myers, Datamation, November 1977 For radio itself deliberately obsoletes today what it built yesterday. David Sarnoff, Television, 1936 See More
Joanna Chung, Newsweek, 23 Sept. 2002 He exercised a right so rare, at this the fag-end of the century, as to be practically obsolete. The most fundamental right of all. The right to be the good guy. Zadie Smith, White Teeth, 2000 I never had parents, really. My mom was gone, my dad was at work or with his girlfriends, we had baby-sitters. My parents were obsolete. Jonathan Kozol, Voices From the Future, 1993 The system was made obsolete by their invention. I was told my old printer is obsolete and I can't get replacement parts. Verb While many … do describe various small, quick-loading 35mm film cartridges, modern technology has obsoleted these. Herbert Keppler, Popular Photography, November 1993 … older cpu's whose speed and efficiency never were fully tapped before they were effectively obsoleted by their manufacturers … Edith Myers, Datamation, November 1977 For radio itself deliberately obsoletes today what it built yesterday. David Sarnoff, Television, 1936 See More Recent Examples on the Web Tristan Bove, Fortune, 11 June 2022 Longer drives require bigger courses, and that means higher maintenance costs—in water, chemicals and manpower hours—as well as the cost of lengthening courses that are becoming obsolete. Dave Shedloski, WSJ, 16 June 2022 The nation’s largest newspaper chain is of the opinion that its opinion pages are alienating readers and becoming obsolete. Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 9 June 2022 The traditional monolithic model of learning in which learning assets are shoehorned into semester long, multi-unit classes that offer no customization is becoming obsolete. John Kao, Forbes, 8 June 2022 The wild ingredients harvested for this dinner are part of Hirata’s efforts to highlight the importance of native plant and sealife and preserve native cooking traditions, which are both at risk of becoming obsolete. Rachel Ng, Bon Appétit, 19 May 2022 Pécresse’s center-right party has also been sinking in the polls and is at risk of becoming obsolete. New York Times, 31 Mar. 2022 The stormwater system isn’t the only piece of infrastructure becoming obsolete. Michael Smolenscolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2022 To make matters worse, the laws and policies determining water rights are now becoming obsolete due to climate change. Richard M. Frank, CNN, 16 July 2021 Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2021 Issuing passwords is simple, low-cost and can obsolete several pages from the cyber criminal's playbook. Rob Cheng, Forbes, 6 Apr. 2021 See More
Adjective
During the pandemic, online and at-home car shopping threatened to make dealerships and showrooms obsolete. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 11 June 2022 Longer drives require bigger courses, and that means higher maintenance costs—in water, chemicals and manpower hours—as well as the cost of lengthening courses that are becoming obsolete. Dave Shedloski, WSJ, 16 June 2022 The nation’s largest newspaper chain is of the opinion that its opinion pages are alienating readers and becoming obsolete. Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 9 June 2022 The traditional monolithic model of learning in which learning assets are shoehorned into semester long, multi-unit classes that offer no customization is becoming obsolete. John Kao, Forbes, 8 June 2022 The wild ingredients harvested for this dinner are part of Hirata’s efforts to highlight the importance of native plant and sealife and preserve native cooking traditions, which are both at risk of becoming obsolete. Rachel Ng, Bon Appétit, 19 May 2022 Pécresse’s center-right party has also been sinking in the polls and is at risk of becoming obsolete. New York Times, 31 Mar. 2022 The stormwater system isn’t the only piece of infrastructure becoming obsolete. Michael Smolenscolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2022 To make matters worse, the laws and policies determining water rights are now becoming obsolete due to climate change. Richard M. Frank, CNN, 16 July 2021 Verb
With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2021 With a mission to obsolete the use of bullets, reduce social conflict, and assist the judicial system, the company’s products have been observing heightened demand even during the pandemic. Trefis Team, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2021 Issuing passwords is simple, low-cost and can obsolete several pages from the cyber criminal's playbook. Rob Cheng, Forbes, 6 Apr. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Verb
Latin obsoletus, from past participle of obsolescere to grow old, become disused, perhaps from ob- toward + solēre to be accustomed
First Known Use
Adjective
1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1640, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
obsolete
adjective
ob·so·lete ˌäb-sə-ˈlēt
: no longer in use : out-of-date
The machinery is now obsolete.
Medical Definition
obsolete
adjective
ob·so·lete ˌäb-sə-ˈlēt, ˈäb-sə-ˌ
: no longer active or distinct
obsolete cases of infection
obsolete pulmonary lesions
obsolete
adjective
as in archaic
having passed its time of use or usefulness I was told my old printer is obsolete and I can't get replacement parts Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- archaic
- antiquated
- medieval
- outmoded
- outdated
- useless
- dated
- prehistoric
- old
- expired
- rusty
- discarded
- passé
- defunct
- outworn
- neolithic
- out-of-date
- ancient
- moribund
- superannuated
- aging
- fossilized
- antique
- prehistorical
- obsolescent
- kaput
- unusable
- vintage
- extinct
- mossy
- démodé
- kaputt
- historical
- dead
- unworkable
- historic
- late
- retro
- mediaeval
- disused
- demoded
- ageing
- inoperable
- vanished
- moth-eaten
- inoperative
- Stone Age
- aged
- venerable
- inert
- Noachian
- past
- inactive
- fusty
- free
- antediluvian
- idle
- latent
- former
- dormant
- musty
- fallow
- bygone
- hoary
- erstwhile
- atavistic
- old-fashioned
- dateless
- oldfangled
- old-time
- age-old
- old-world
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- modern
- new
- current
- newfangled
- contemporary
- recent
- ultramodern
- modernized
- fresh
- new-fashioned
- mod
- up-to-date
- operational
- functional
- workable
- renewed
- up-to-the-minute
- refurbished
- present-day
- operable
- operating
- functioning
- remodeled
- active
- operative
- employed
- busy
- alive
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of obsolete are ancient, antiquated, antique, archaic, old, and venerable. While all these words mean "having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past," obsolete may apply to something regarded as no longer acceptable or useful even though it is still in existence.
a computer that makes earlier models obsolete
The synonyms ancient and obsolete are sometimes interchangeable, but ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past.
ancient accounts of dragons
While in some cases nearly identical to obsolete, antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time.
antiquated teaching methods
The words antique and obsolete can be used in similar contexts, but antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time.
collected antique Chippendale furniture
In some situations, the words archaic and obsolete are roughly equivalent. However, archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time.
the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period
Although the words old and obsolete have much in common, old may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence.
old houses
an old sweater of mine
The meanings of venerable and obsolete largely overlap; however, venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age.
the family's venerable patriarch