obsolete
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1ob·so·lete
adjective \ˌäb-sə-ˈlēt, ˈäb-sə-ˌ\Definition of OBSOLETE
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 b : of a kind or style no longer current : old-fashioned 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>
2
of a plant or animal part : indistinct or imperfect as compared with a corresponding part in related organisms : vestigial
— ob·so·lete·ly adverb
— ob·so·lete·ness noun
See Examples of OBSOLETE
- The system was made obsolete by their invention.
- <I was told my old printer is obsolete and I can't get replacement parts.>
- 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
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Origin of OBSOLETE
Latin obsoletus, from past participle of obsolescere to grow old, become disused, perhaps from ob- toward + solēre to be accustomed
First Known Use: 1579
Related to OBSOLETE
- Synonyms
- antiquated, archaic, dated, démodé, demoded, fossilized, kaput (also kaputt), medieval (also mediaeval), moribund, mossy, moth-eaten, neolithic, Noachian, outdated, outmoded, out-of-date, outworn, passé, prehistoric (also prehistorical), rusty, Stone Age, superannuated
See Synonym Discussion at old
Rhymes with OBSOLETE
aquavit, at one's feet, balance sheet, biathlete, bittersweet, booster seat, bucket seat, catbird seat, cellulite, cookie sheet, corps d'elite, countryseat, county seat, crystal pleat, decathlete, drag one's feet, driver's seat, easy street, exegete, incomplete, indiscreet, latent heat, letter sheet, lorikeet, make ends meet, marguerite, Masorete, meadowsweet, meet and greet, miss a beat, Nayarit, off one's feet, on one's feet, on the street, overeat, overheat, Paraclete, parakeet, pentathlete, prickly heat, rumble seat, saddle seat, scandal sheet, self-conceit, semisweet, shredded wheat, sliding seat, spirochete, superheat, to one's feet, triathlete, trick or treat, two-way street, undertreat, up one's street, winding-sheet, window seat
2ob·so·lete
transitive verb \ˌäb-sə-ˈlēt, ˈäb-sə-ˌ\ob·so·let·edob·so·let·ing
Definition of OBSOLETE
: to make (something) old-fashioned or no longer useful : make obsolete
Examples of OBSOLETE
- 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
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Origin of OBSOLETE
(see 1obsolete)
First Known Use: 1640
ob·so·lete
adjective \ˌäb-sə-ˈlēt, ˈäb-sə-ˌ\ (Medical Dictionary)Medical Definition of OBSOLETE
: no longer active or distinct <obsolete cases of infection> <obsolete pulmonary lesions>
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