1 obsolesce | Definition of obsolesce

obsolesce

verb
ob·​so·​lesce | \ ˌäb-sÉ™-ˈles How to pronounce obsolesce (audio) \
obsolesced; obsolescing

Definition of obsolesce

intransitive verb

: to be or become obsolescent

transitive verb

: to make obsolescent

Examples of obsolesce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What a bizarre triumph for a company so eager to obsolesce our televisions. Chris Richards, Washington Post, "How did YouTube become the most popular music streaming site? By sounding like the world itself.," 31 July 2019 People talk on landlines and watch black-and-white movies; the internet and mobile devices have seemingly obsolesced. Julian Lucas, Harper's magazine, "New Books," 10 May 2019 The pattern such boondoggles follow is predictable: the services insist that new weapons are needed to replace our rapidly obsolescing fleets. Andrew Cockburn, Harper's magazine, "The Military-Industrial Virus," 10 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obsolesce.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of obsolesce

1873, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

History and Etymology for obsolesce

Latin obsolescere

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More from Merriam-Webster on obsolesce

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with obsolesce

Nglish: Translation of obsolesce for Spanish Speakers