Obsolete
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /É’bsəˈliËt/
- US enPR: äbsəˈlÄ“t, IPA: /É‘bsəˈliËt/
Origin
From Latin obsoletus ("worn out, gone out of use"), past participle of obsolescere ("to wear out, fall into disuse, grow old, decay"); see obsolesce.
Full definition of obsolete
Adjective
obsolete
- (of words, equipment, etc.) No longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected (often by preference for something newer, which replaces the subject).
- 2013-07-20, The attack of the MOOCs, Since the launch early last year of … two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete.
- It is speculated that, within a few years, the Internet's speedy delivery of news worldwide will make newspapers obsolete.
- (biology) Imperfectly developed; not very distinct.
Usage notes
Nouns to which "obsolete" is often applied: word, phrase, equipment, computer, technology, weapon, machine, law, statute, currency, building, idea, skill, concept, custom, theory, tradition, institution.
Synonyms
- (no longer in use) ancient, antiquated, antique, archaic, disused, neglected, old, old-fashioned, out of date
- (in biology: imperfectly developed) abortive, obscure, rudimental
Derived terms
Verb
- (transitive, US)Oxford Dictionary To cause to become obsolete.This software component has been obsoleted.We are in the process of obsoleting this product.
Usage notes
To obsolete is often used in computing and other technical fields to indicate an effort to remove or replace something.
Compare deprecated ("no longer considered correct usage")