Dictionary

obsolescence en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌɒb.səˈlɛs.əns/ (Canada, dialectal) of the US
• /ˌɑb.səˈlɛs.əns/ (Atlantic-Canada, General-American)
• /ˌɒb.səˈlɛs.əns/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˌɔb.səˈles.əns/ (Australia)
• /ˌɒb.səˈles.əns/ (New-Zealand)
• [ˌɔ̟b.səˈles.əns] (New-Zealand)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁óp(i) Proto-Italic *op Latin ob Latin obs- Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *h₂oléyeti Proto-Italic *oleō Latin *oleō Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Italic *-skō Latin -sco Latin olēscere Latin obsolēscere Proto-Indo-European *-onts Latin -ns Latin -ēns Latin obsolēscēnsbor. English obsolescence From Latin obsolēscēns (present participle of obsolēscere).

Meanings

1. (uncountable) The state of being obsolete—no longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected.
   • Apart from this feature the Trichoptera also differ from the typical Neuroptera in the relatively simple, mostly longitudinal neuration of the wings, the absence or obsolescence of the mandibles and the semi-haustellate nature of the rest of the mouth-parts. 1911, “Caddis-fly and Caddis-worm”, in 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica:
   • One way is to legislate extended warranties on products, so washing machines and refrigerators last for 30 years instead of 10. Another is to ban planned obsolescence, so manufacturers can’t create products that are designed to fail. 2019, Jason Hickel, “Climate breakdown is coming. The UK needs a Greener New Deal”, in Guardian.:
2. (countable) The process of becoming obsolete, outmoded or out of date.
   • Shared obsolescences can be of some significance when connected with a functional replacement. If two languages replace an earlier word for 'nose' with some other term and also lose the traditional term, this double agreement is of significance for judging the existence of a common historical period. 2005, Joseph Harold Greenberg, William Croft, Genetic Linguistics:

Forms

Antonyms

usage · employment · use · utilisation · nonobsolescence

Deriveds

planned obsolescence · built-in obsolescence · nonobsolescence · programmed obsolescence

Hypernyms

disemployment · dormancy · inactivity · abeyance · planned obsolescence · built-in obsolescence · programmed obsolescence · oldness

Relateds

lifespan · obsolete · dead language · shelf life · deadname · obsolescent · ghost town · obsoletism · extinct language · archaism · expiration · neglect · ghost mall · ghost language · ghost station · dead media · traditional county · dead mall · the box they're going to bury it in · expiry

Synonyms

disusage · obsoletion · desuetude · obsoleteness · obsoletion · superannuation · desuetude · obsolescence · inusitation · unuse · obsoleteness · disuse

Translations (20)

fi vanhentuneisuus (state) · pt obsolescência (state) · fr obsolescence (state) · ca obsolescència (state) · id keusangan (state) · fr désuétude (state) · pl starzenie się (state) · sv föraldring (state) · es obsolescencia (state) · fi vanheneminen (process) · hu elavultság (state) · it obsolescenza (state) · pl starzenie się (process) · eu zaharkitzapen (state) · fi vanhentuminen (process) · hu elavulás (process) · da forældelse (state) · de Veraltetsein (state) · de Obsoleszenz (state) · bg отпадане от употреба (process)