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: of a kind or style no longer current : old-fashioned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
obsoleted; obsoleting
: to make (something) old-fashioned or no longer useful : make obsolete
Synonyms
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I was told my old printer is obsolete and I can't get replacement parts.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
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I was told my old printer is obsolete and I can't get replacement parts.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
Quartz Bot, Quartz, 7 Nov. 2024
However, this rapid transformation also stirs anxiety, with employees worrying their jobs may become obsolete.
—Cory McNeley, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for obsolete 
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Adjective
General and administrative expenses increased to $12.9 million from $11.9 million, primarily due to costs from the company's bi-annual national summit and obsolete inventory expenses.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 7 Nov. 2024
However, this rapid transformation also stirs anxiety, with employees worrying their jobs may become obsolete.
—Cory McNeley, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for obsolete
Dictionary Entries Near obsolete
Cite this Entry
“Obsolete.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obsolete. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
obsolete
adjective
ob·so·lete
ˌäb-sə-ˈlēt, ˈäb-sə-ˌ
: no longer active or distinct
obsolete cases of infection
obsolete pulmonary lesions
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