Meaning & use
obsolete
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
No longer produced or used because a newer method, product, or idea has replaced it.
Grammar: Not normally graded; something is obsolete rather than more obsolete in careful use.
Patterns
- become obsolete
- render something obsolete
- obsolete technology
Fax machines became obsolete as secure email replaced them.
The new app rendered the old booking system obsolete within a year.
Engineers warned that the factory’s obsolete control panels were hard to repair.
Common combinations
- become obsolete
- Paper tickets become obsolete when passengers scan phones at the gate.
- render something obsolete
- Cheap cloud storage rendered many home DVD burners obsolete.
- obsolete equipment
- The clinic replaced obsolete equipment that could no longer be serviced.
- largely obsolete
- Hand-cranked windows in cars are now largely obsolete.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outdated
- Outdated means behind current fashion or practice, while obsolete stresses that replacement has made use impractical.
- outmoded
- Outmoded often concerns style or approach; obsolete is stronger and suggests no continuing use.
- archaic
- Archaic suits old words, customs, or laws surviving only in limited contexts.
Opposites
Word family
- obsolescence noun
- The process of becoming outdated or no longer useful.
- obsolescent adjective
- Becoming obsolete; going out of use.
Commonly confused: obsolete or absolute?
obsolete vs absolute
Obsolete means replaced and unused; absolute means total or not dependent on anything else.
Practice
Which sentence uses obsolete correctly?
Choose one answer.
A filing system can be replaced by technology; a scarf is merely old, soup needs seasoning, and yes is an answer not a system.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “obsolete”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.