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
Examples of obsolescence in a Sentence
the obsolescence of the old technology
Once a useful tool, slide rules have fallen into obsolescence.
Recent Examples on the Web
Maybe Happy Ending—which first opened in Seoul in 2016 and has been charming New York audiences since November—was the result: a show about solitary robots facing obsolescence that, paradoxically, has the most heart of anything on Broadway.
—
Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2025
Many jobs will be highly impacted – to the point of obsolescence – by AI, and others will demand learning new skills and high degrees of flexibility and adaptability.
—Kate Duchene, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Panama completed a vast construction project to expand the canal in 2014, overcoming the threat of obsolescence that had emerged as ships grew ever larger.
—Julie Greene / Made By History, TIME, 22 Jan. 2025
Permanence, not obsolescence, must be our guiding principle.
—Rick Tumlinson, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for obsolescence 
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Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2025
Many jobs will be highly impacted – to the point of obsolescence – by AI, and others will demand learning new skills and high degrees of flexibility and adaptability.
—Kate Duchene, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Panama completed a vast construction project to expand the canal in 2014, overcoming the threat of obsolescence that had emerged as ships grew ever larger.
—Julie Greene / Made By History, TIME, 22 Jan. 2025
Permanence, not obsolescence, must be our guiding principle.
—Rick Tumlinson, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for obsolescence
Dictionary Entries Near obsolescence
Cite this Entry
“Obsolescence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obsolescence. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
obsolescence
noun
ob·so·les·cence
ˌäb-sə-ˈles-ᵊn(t)s
: the process of becoming obsolete or the state of being nearly obsolete
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
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