obsolete

obsolete — 形容詞

1. describes something — often a machine, technology, word, or method — that people

1.形容詞C1
釋義

過時的；淘汰

因有更新更好的東西取代而不再被使用

describes something — often a machine, technology, word, or method — that people have stopped using because a newer or better option has taken its place.

例句

Marcus still keeps a fax machine in his office, even though most clients say the technology is obsolete.

Marcus 辦公室裡還留著一台傳真機，但大部分客戶都說這項技術早就過時了。

predicative use: be obsolete

The arrival of cheap smartphones quickly made many older digital cameras obsolete.

便宜智慧型手機問世之後，許多舊型數位相機很快就被淘汰了。

make + object + obsolete

同義詞
  • outdated

    very close in meaning; slightly less formal and more common in everyday speech

  • antiquated

    stronger; suggests something is laughably old and out of step with the present

  • archaic

    often used about words, customs, or laws from a much earlier period

  • defunct

    stresses that something no longer exists or operates at all, not just that it's old

反義詞
  • current

    in use right now

  • modern

    based on the most recent ideas or methods

  • up-to-date

    including the newest information or features

文法句型

become obsolete

render something obsolete

用法筆記

Frequently used predicatively with 'be', 'become', 'make', or 'render' rather than only attributively. Subject is typically a thing, technology, word, or practice — rarely a person.

常見錯誤

❌My grandfather is obsolete now that he has retired.
✅My grandfather's old typewriter is obsolete now that he has retired.
💡'obsolete' describes things that are no longer used, not people.
❌The bread is obsolete.
✅The bread is stale.
💡for food past its best, use 'stale' or 'expired'; 'obsolete' is for designs, tools, or ideas replaced by newer ones.