obsolescence
noun
ob·so·les·cence ˌäb-sə-ˈle-sᵊn(t)s 
: the process of becoming obsolete or the condition of being nearly obsolete
the gradual obsolescence of machinery
reduced to obsolescence
the planned obsolescence of automobiles
Example Sentences
the obsolescence of the old technology Once a useful tool, slide rules have fallen into obsolescence.
Recent Examples on the Web Thanks to the invasion, tanks are teetering on the edge of obsolescence. 
Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 11 Aug. 2022 Birgitte’s exit from Denmark thus portends her obsolescence, and reads as a strange sort of penance for her moral failings this season. Kylie Warner, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2022 Meal-kit delivery services may also have contributed to their own obsolescence, providing the training wheels for far more people learning how to cook during the pandemic, some experts say. Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2022 Whatever the brand of future-panic in most science fiction — scarce resources, soulless technology, rising robot overlords — what's at the root, usually, is our own obsolescence. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2021 Risks might come from competition, obsolescence, CEO turnover, inflation, Fed rate increases, recessions, wars, pandemics. Andy Kessler, WSJ, 31 July 2022 The skill would gradually fall into obsolescence, and then drift inexorably toward extinction. New York Times, 22 July 2022 The line, famously quoted by Kurt Cobain in his suicide note, suggests rock stars are better off flaming out in a brief blaze of creative glory than fading slowly into obsolescence. Brandon Griggs, CNN, 23 July 2022 The two obvious drivers involve age of the workforce and the potential for economic obsolescence of skill levels. Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2021 See More
Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 11 Aug. 2022 Birgitte’s exit from Denmark thus portends her obsolescence, and reads as a strange sort of penance for her moral failings this season. Kylie Warner, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2022 Meal-kit delivery services may also have contributed to their own obsolescence, providing the training wheels for far more people learning how to cook during the pandemic, some experts say. Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2022 Whatever the brand of future-panic in most science fiction — scarce resources, soulless technology, rising robot overlords — what's at the root, usually, is our own obsolescence. Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2021 Risks might come from competition, obsolescence, CEO turnover, inflation, Fed rate increases, recessions, wars, pandemics. Andy Kessler, WSJ, 31 July 2022 The skill would gradually fall into obsolescence, and then drift inexorably toward extinction. New York Times, 22 July 2022 The line, famously quoted by Kurt Cobain in his suicide note, suggests rock stars are better off flaming out in a brief blaze of creative glory than fading slowly into obsolescence. Brandon Griggs, CNN, 23 July 2022 The two obvious drivers involve age of the workforce and the potential for economic obsolescence of skill levels. Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
circa 1832, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing obsolescence
Legal Definition
obsolescence
noun
ob·so·les·cence ˌäb-sə-ˈles-ᵊns
: a loss in the utility or value of property that results over time from intrinsic limitations (as outmoded facilities) or external circumstances
Note: Obsolescence is usually distinguished from depreciation and physical deterioration.
— economic obsolescence
: obsolescence that results from external factors (as location) that render a property obsolete, no longer competitive, unattractive to purchasers or investors, or of decreasing usefulness claimed that the appraisal failed to account for economic obsolescence resulting from an adjacent waste facility
— functional obsolescence \\ ˈfəŋk-shə-nəl- \\
: obsolescence deriving from a lack of adequate or appropriate equipment, space, or design
obsolescence
noun
as in obsoleteness
the condition of no longer being used or useful; the condition of being obsolete the obsolescence of the old technology Once a useful tool, slide rules have fallen into obsolescence. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- obsoleteness
- datedness
- antiquity
- antiquation
- age
- agedness
- ancientness
- hoariness
- old-fashionedness
- fustiness
- agelessness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- modernity
- currency
- novelty
- freshness
- newness
- modernness
- recentness
- currentness