Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Obsolete
1.
No longer in use; gone into disuse; disused; neglected;
as, an
; – applied chiefly to words, writings, or observances. obsolete
word; an obsolete
statute2.
(Biol.)
Not very distinct; obscure; rudimental; imperfectly developed; abortive.
Syn. – Ancient; antiquated; old-fashioned; antique; old; disused; neglected. See
Ancient
. Ob′so-lete
,Verb.
I.
To become obsolete; to go out of use.
[R.]
Fitzed. Hall.
Webster 1828 Edition
Obsolete
OBSOLE'TE
,Adj.
1.
Gone into disuse; disused; neglected; as an obsolete word; an obsolete statute; applied chiefly to words or writings.2.
In botany, obscure; not very distinct.Definition 2024
obsolete
obsolete
See also: obsolète
English
Adjective
obsolete (comparative more obsolete, superlative most 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 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
- 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): antiquated, deprecated, disused, see also Wikisaurus:obsolete
- (in biology: imperfectly developed): abortive, obscure, rudimental
Derived terms
Translations
no longer in use
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in biology: imperfectly developed
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Verb
obsolete (third-person singular simple present obsoletes, present participle obsoleting, simple past and past participle obsoleted)
- (transitive, US) 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”).
Translations
to cause to become obsolete
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