Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
 
Help

built in obsolescence

 - 3 dictionary results

planned obsolescence

–noun
a method of stimulating consumer demand by designing products that wear out or become outmoded after limited use.


Origin:
1965–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To built in obsolescence
Cultural Dictionary

planned obsolescence [(ob-suh-les-uhns)]

Incorporating into a product features that will almost certainly go out of favor in a short time, thereby inducing the consumer to purchase a new model of the product. Placing sweeping tail fins on an automobile was an example of planned obsolescence.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see built in obsolescence on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: