Unnecessary vs Obsolete - What's the difference?
unnecessary | obsolete |
Not needed or necessary.
* {{quote-news
, year=2011
, date=December 14
, author=Steven Morris
, title=Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave
, work=Guardian
Done in addition to requirements; unrequired.
No longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected (often by preference for something newer, which replaces the subject).
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= (biology) Imperfectly developed; not very distinct.
(US)
As adjectives the difference between unnecessary and obsolete
is that unnecessary is not needed or necessary while obsolete is no longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected (often by preference for something newer, which replaces the subject).As a verb obsolete is
to cause to become obsolete.unnecessary
English
Adjective
(en adjective)- The automatic child-frightener made clowns unnecessary .
citation, page= , passage=Robins, of Torquay, had denied a single charge of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal. She claimed the microwave was accidentally turned on by one of the cats after the kitten got inside. But Knutton said the kitten was too small to even get onto the work surface.}}
Antonyms
* (not needed) necessary, needed * (in addition to requirements) required, mandatorySynonyms
* (not needed) superfluous, unneeded, needless, innecessary * (in addition to requirements) additional, innecessaryDerived terms
* unnecessarily * unnecessarinessobsolete
English
Adjective
(en adjective)The attack of the MOOCs, passage=Since the launch early last year of […] two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations. University brands built in some cases over centuries have been forced to contemplate the possibility that information technology will rapidly make their existing business model obsolete .}}
Usage notes
* Nouns to which "obsolete" is often applied: word, phrase, equipment, computer, technology, weapon, machine, law, statute, currency, building, idea, skill, concept, custom, theory, tradition, institution.Synonyms
* (no longer in use) ancient, antiquated, antique, archaic, disused, neglected, old, old-fashioned, out of date * abortive, obscure, rudimentalDerived terms
* obsoletenessVerb
(obsolet)Oxford DictionaryTo cause to become obsolete.
- This software component has been obsoleted .
- We are in the process of obsoleting this product.
