obsolete

1 of 2

adjective

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: of a kind or style no longer current : old-fashioned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 2

verb

obsoleted; obsoleting

transitive verb

: to make (something) old-fashioned or no longer useful : make obsolete

Synonyms

Adjective

• archaic
• antiquated
• medieval

Choose the Right Synonym for obsolete

old, ancient, venerable, antique, antiquated, archaic, obsolete mean having come into existence or use in the more or less distant past.

old may apply to either actual or merely relative length of existence.

old houses

an old sweater of mine

ancient applies to occurrence, existence, or use in or survival from the distant past.

ancient accounts of dragons

venerable stresses the impressiveness and dignity of great age.

the family's venerable patriarch

antique applies to what has come down from a former or ancient time.

collected antique Chippendale furniture

antiquated implies being discredited or outmoded or otherwise inappropriate to the present time.

antiquated teaching methods

archaic implies having the character or characteristics of a much earlier time.

the play used archaic language to convey a sense of period

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

Examples of obsolete in a Sentence

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I was told my old printer is obsolete and I can't get replacement parts.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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Far from making human expertise obsolete, AI is increasing the value of experience, judgment and leadership in software development. —Sebastian Avila, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

But, still, Tannahill gets us to wonder: Why are so many romance novels written about an obsolete nobility? —Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 26 June 2025

Verb

Additionally, Russian jammers obsoleted much of the Ukrainian drone fleet. —Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024

By obsoleting customer-service hell, for instance—replacing 40-minute hold times and well-meaning but sometimes confused agents with bots who answer in milliseconds and solve problems in moments, leveraging their absolute knowledge of every quirk and hidden feature of the most intricate products. —Rob Reid, Ars Technica, 24 Feb. 2023

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

Rhymes for obsolete

• bittersweet
• celestite
• incomplete
• indiscreet
• marguerite
• overeat
• overheat
• parakeet
• stillingfleet
• superheat
• amit
• athlete

Kids Definition

obsolete

adjective

ob·​so·​lete

ˌäb-sə-ˈlēt,

ˈäb-sə-ˌlēt

1

: no longer in use

an obsolete word

2

: of a kind or style no longer current : outmoded

obsolete machinery

obsoletely adverb

obsoleteness noun

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