- out of use or practice; not current
- out of date; unfashionable or outmoded
- (of parts, organs, etc) vestigial; rudimentary
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ob•so•lete /ˌɑbsəˈlit, ˈɑbsəˌlit/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- no longer in general use;
fallen into disuse:obsolete customs. - no longer useful;
out-of-date:an obsolete battleship.
ob•so•lete
(ob′sə lēt′, ob′sə lēt′),USA pronunciation adj., v., -let•ed, -let•ing.
adj.
v.t.
ob′so•lete′ly, adv.
ob′so•lete′ness, n.
adj.
- no longer in general use;
fallen into disuse:an obsolete expression. - of a discarded or outmoded type;
out of date:an obsolete battleship. - Linguistics(of a linguistic form) no longer in use, esp., out of use for at least the past century. Cf. archaic.
- effaced by wearing down or away.
- Developmental Biology[Biol.]imperfectly developed or rudimentary in comparison with the corresponding character in other individuals, as of the opposite sex or of a related species.
v.t.
- to make obsolete by replacing with something newer or better;
antiquate:Automation has obsoleted many factory workers.
- Latin obsolētus, past participle of obsolēscere to fall into disuse, perh. equivalent. to ob- ob- + sol(ēre) to be accustomed to + -ēscere -esce
- 1570–80
ob′so•lete′ness, n.
- 2. antiquated, ancient, old.
- 1. 2. new, modern.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
obsolete /ˈɒbsəˌliːt; ˌɒbsəˈliːt/ adj
'obsolete' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
aardvark
- abiogenesis
- admix
- adulterous
- agin
- ajar
- alembic
- amaze
- ammunition
- an
- and
- antiquate
- antiquated
- approbation
- aqua fortis
- argument
- arrears
- ASA/BS
- atomy
- bailie
- barleycorn
- base
- basset horn
- bedizen
- belabour
- beldam
- benzol
- bewray
- bill
- blunderbuss
- bout
- brake
- brave
- breach
- breadth
- brick
- brimstone
- brisling
- bufflehead
- bumper
- bunion
- bustle
- butty
- calabash
- calculous
- camelopard
- campion
- candytuft
- cantankerous
- canvass