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Glite Dictionary
to obsolesce

to obsolesce

8.9
To become old-fashioned and no longer used
  • verb
  • /ˌɑb.səˈlɛs/
translation icon : volverse obsoleto
  • And it's all very subject to being obsolesced by that level of speed and precision and ability to deliver very dangerous kinetic strikes.

And it's all very subject to being obsolesced by that level of speed and precision and ability to deliver very dangerous kinetic strikes.

Examples

  • Smartphones have caused traditional cameras to obsolesce for most casual users.

  • I'm obsolescing like this old straw-bottomed cruiser of ours.

    In Harm's Way (1965)

  • Few libraries have media preservation specialists on staff, making assessment of rapidly deteriorating and obsolescing collections difficult.

    Academic text (2012)

  • As new technologies emerge, older ones tend to obsolesce and are no longer used.

  • Many tools became obsolesced after the introduction of more efficient alternatives.

Synonyms

to go by the wayside
vsto obsolesce
  • Informal
5 6.9

To stop being used or followed

refers to gradual falling out of use rather than simple dating
to go the way of the dinosaurs
vsto obsolesce
1 8.2

People stop using something because new things replace it

is about becoming unused but not necessarily due to failure to adapt
to superannuate
vsto obsolesce
  • UK
9.9

To make something no longer useful when something newer replaces it

means to become out of date without implying active removal

Antonyms

to revive
104 4.2

Make something active or popular again after a time of being forgotten

to keep up with the times
3 3.9

Stay modern by learning about new trends

How Obsolete

to disuse
2 4.2
to obsolesce
8.9
to age
130 1.0
to persist
61 3.5

Surface Forms

obsolesce infinitive
obsolesced past
obsolesced past participle
obsolescing present participle
obsolesces third person singular

Morphology

obsolesce = obsolete (semi-transparent) = obsolesc + e

The verb's meaning 'become obsolete' is directly related to 'obsolete', but the verb-forming element is rare and not productive in modern English, so learners may not reliably form the verb from the adjective.

Etymology

Obsolesce comes from the Latin obsolescere, which meant 'to grow old', and it is the same root as obsolete. So, to obsolesce is to 'grow old' in use and slowly stop being used, like old technology.