obsolete

obsolete — adjective

1. describes something — often a machine, technology, word, or method — that people

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describes something — often a machine, technology, word, or method — that people have stopped using because a newer or better option has taken its place.

Example

Marcus still keeps a fax machine in his office, even though most clients say the technology is obsolete.

predicative use: be obsolete

The arrival of cheap smartphones quickly made many older digital cameras obsolete.

make + object + obsolete

Common collocations
  • become obsolete
  • render obsolete
  • make obsolete
  • obsolete technology
  • obsolete equipment
  • rapidly obsolete
  • almost obsolete
Synonyms
  • outdated

    very close in meaning; slightly less formal and more common in everyday speech

  • antiquated

    stronger; suggests something is laughably old and out of step with the present

  • archaic

    often used about words, customs, or laws from a much earlier period

  • defunct

    stresses that something no longer exists or operates at all, not just that it's old

Antonyms
  • current

    in use right now

  • modern

    based on the most recent ideas or methods

  • up-to-date

    including the newest information or features

Grammar Patterns

become obsolete

render something obsolete

Usage Note

Frequently used predicatively with 'be', 'become', 'make', or 'render' rather than only attributively. Subject is typically a thing, technology, word, or practice — rarely a person.

Common Mistakes

My grandfather is obsolete now that he has retired.
My grandfather's old typewriter is obsolete now that he has retired.
'obsolete' describes things that are no longer used, not people.
The bread is obsolete.
The bread is stale.
for food past its best, use 'stale' or 'expired'; 'obsolete' is for designs, tools, or ideas replaced by newer ones.

Word family

  • obsolescence
    nounC2
  • obsolescent
    adjectiveC2
  • obsoletely
    adverb

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words point to something belonging to the past, but they differ in tone and scope. 'Outdated' is the everyday choice — neutral and common, used for fashion, software, ideas, or information. 'Obsolete' is slightly more formal and stronger: it implies a clear replacement has appeared (a faster chip, a newer standard). 'Antiquated' adds a critical, sometimes humorous edge — antiquated rules sound foolishly old. 'Archaic' usually describes language, customs, or laws from a much earlier era, not last year's gadgets. 'Defunct' goes furthest: a defunct company or law no longer exists at all. So you might say a fax machine is obsolete (replaced by email), an old-fashioned dress code is antiquated, a Shakespearean word is archaic, and a defunct airline has shut down completely.

obsolete ↗outdated ↗antiquatedarchaicdefunct

Common collocations

Nouns

  • obsolete technology
  • obsolete equipment
  • obsolete software
  • obsolete model
  • obsolete word

Adverbs

  • completely obsolete
  • almost obsolete
  • increasingly obsolete
  • rapidly obsolete
  • virtually obsolete

Phrases

  • become obsolete
  • make something obsolete
  • render something obsolete
  • fall into obsolete use

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Borrowed into English in the mid-1500s from Latin 'obsoletus', the past participle of 'obsolescere' meaning 'to fall into disuse, wear out'. The Latin verb is built from 'ob-' (away) and a root related to 'solere' (to be accustomed) — so the original idea is roughly 'to grow away from being customary'. English first used it of clothing and customs that had gone out of fashion; only later did it spread to technology and language.