English

Noun

obsolescence ‎(countable and uncountable, plural obsolescences)

1. (uncountable) The state of being obsolete—no longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected.
   • 1911, “Caddis-fly and Caddis-worm”, in 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica:

     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.

2. (countable) The process of becoming obsolete, outmoded or out of date.
   • 2005, Joseph Harold Greenberg, William Croft, Genetic Linguistics:

     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.

Synonyms

• obsoleteness (much less common)
• obsoletion

Derived terms

• planned obsolescence

Related terms

• expiration
• expiry
• life span
• obsolescent
• obsolete
• shelf life

Translations

French

Noun

obsolescence f ‎(plural obsolescences)

1. obsolescence

Synonyms

• désuétude

Hypernyms

• vieillissement

Related terms

• durée de vie
• obsolescent
• obsolète
• péremption
• sénescence

Derived terms

• obsolescence programmée

References

• “obsolescence” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).