OBSOLESCENT Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

obsolescent

adjective

Definition of obsolescent

as in obsolete

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of obsolescent To show how far things have progressed, the Reaper today is regarded as not only obsolescent, but a growing liability. — New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026 But there are also filmmakers who prize obsolescent technologies precisely for their apparent shortcomings. — Dennis Lim, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026 In his State of Kazakhstan speech, Tokayev also announced that his country moving beyond the first commercial nuclear reactor to build one or two more to address energy shortage due to the obsolescent thermal power stations. — Mark Temnycky, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025 For example, its Navy went from 140 obsolescent ships in 2003 to 234 modern ships today. — Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025 But Randolph and Hastings always planned on video streaming rendering the DVD-by-mail service obsolescent once technology advanced to the point that watching movies and TV shows through internet connections became viable. — Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2023 My desktop collection of obsolescent chargers may not obviously connect me with the divine. — Britt Peterson, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for obsolescent

Adjective

For Picasso, the new was power; its will to render obsolete what came before was as irresistible as a force of nature.

— Michael Brenson, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2026
Houses were rebuilt over the remains of earlier houses, incorporating old walls and materials into new construction; basilicas became churches and churches became mosques; obsolete city walls and fortifications became boulevards and promenades.

— Julian Rose, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of obsolete

Adjective

This tense aspect pushes us to evolve and strip away outmoded patterns, confronting our relationship with vulnerability, control, and fear.

— Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
The group is silent and still, reverently absorbing the mechanical chug of this nearly outmoded office machine like Hollywood Bowl-goers taking in Joshua Bell.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of outmoded

Adjective

According to firefighters, the department’s flood response was also limited by an antiquated dispatch system.

— Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
Plaintiffs challenging the prohibition on home distilling claim the 1868 law is an antiquated relic of Reconstruction-era politics.

— Michael Kunzelman, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of antiquated

Adjective

In addition, the belief that hip-hop artists are required to acquiesce and musically circumscribe themselves to appease mainstream audiences is archaic in many respects.

— Preezy Brown, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2026
In addition, the belief that hip-hop artists are required to acquiesce and musically circumcise themselves to appease mainstream audiences is archaic in many respects.

— Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of archaic

Adjective

An agent acting on fragmented, out-of-date knowledge creates a decision problem at machine speed.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
There are glimmers of success in almost every advanced country, including the United States, at agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, which has finally begun to modernize its woefully out-of-date technology.

— Jennifer Pahlka, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of out-of-date

Adjective

Setting recent works among older ones is an effective element of LACMA’s overall plan to shed outworn hierarchies.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Perhaps that’s the legacy of outworn stereotypes about corruption or a lack of the type of political will that’s brought more rapid changes to corporate governance and sustainable investing standards in, for example, some Nordic countries.

— Cassie Werber, Quartz, 7 June 2022

Definition of outworn

Adjective

The question is whether emerging science can translate into measurable improvements in skin elasticity and whether those results can be communicated clearly, without turning a complex biological process into the next anti-aging buzzword.

— Amy Francombe, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2026
There’s a reason it hasn’t been licensed for use as an anti-aging drug.

— Gavin Francis, The New York Review of Books, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of aging

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obsolescence

obsolescent

obsolete

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“Obsolescent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/obsolescent. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of obsolescent

adjective

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