obsolete
adjective
, ˈäb-sə-ˌlēt\
Definition of obsolete
(Entry 1 of 2)
obsolete
verb
, ˈäb-sə-ˌlēt\
Definition of obsolete (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for obsolete
Synonyms: Adjective
antiquated, archaic, dated, démodé, demoded, fossilized, kaput (also kaputt), medieval (also mediaeval), moribund, mossy, moth-eaten, neolithic, Noachian, outdated, outmoded, out-of-date, outworn, passé, prehistoric (also prehistorical), rusty, Stone Age, superannuated
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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 I was told my old printer is obsolete and I can't get replacement parts.Verb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
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Developers have come to accept that, without warning, Apple can make their work obsolete by announcing a new app or feature that uses or incorporates their ideas. — Reed Albergotti, oregonlive, "How Apple uses its App Store to copy the best ideas," 6 Sep. 2019 The administration believes these changes would render the deal obsolete. — CBS News, "Trump administration to detain migrant families and children for far longer with new rule," 21 Aug. 2019 The growth of pay-TV services made the idea of putting up an antenna on your roof obsolete in the minds of many Americans for decades. — Rex Crum, The Mercury News, "AT&T customers have TV options as KPIX, KRON blackouts go on," 29 July 2019 The Warriors, whose new-age offensive style was thought to have rendered the big center obsolete, have signed the biggest aircraft carrier in the fleet and intend to use him to take the game to a higher level. — Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, "Light years? Warriors blast into new realm with DeMarcus Cousins," 2 July 2018 Image For years, the fiercest competition during the N.B.A. draft was among reporters trying to scoop one another, nearly rendering ESPN’s telecast obsolete in the process. — Kevin Draper, New York Times, "ESPN and Others Try to Restrain Reporters for N.B.A. Draft, to No Avail," 21 June 2018 Monday’s stunning trade of Griffin to Detroit offered one final, emphatic piece of evidence: On their way to the summit, the Warriors rendered the high-flying Clippers practically obsolete. — Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, "Warriors rendered the high-flying Clippers obsolete," 30 Jan. 2018 Beyond that, the very idea of Davis would become obsolete. — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, "How the Influence of Al Davis Shaped the Modern NFL," 27 Aug. 2019 Then Donald Trump won the 2016 election, and the rebrand became obsolete. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Thursday’s budget deal proves once again Republicans never cared about the deficit," 1 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Why would SpaceX want to obsolete its own, dominant products? — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "Block 5 rocket launch marks the end of the beginning for SpaceX," 3 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obsolete.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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