Table of Contents
Definition of Planned Obsolescence
(noun) To increase profits by intentionally producing goods that quickly become obsolete and therefore require replacing.
Example of Planned Obsolescence
- An electronic device with an irreplaceable battery or unupgradeable memory.
Planned Obsolescence Pronunciation
Syllabification: planned ob·so·les·cence
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /plAnd ahb-suh-lE-s-ns/
- British English – /plAnd ob-suh-lE-suhns/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /plænd ˌɑbsəˈlɛsəns/
- British English – /plænd ˌɒbsəˈlɛs(ə)ns/
Usage Notes
- Plural: planned obsolescences
- Planned obsolescence is achieved by frequent changes in design, limiting the availability of replacement parts, and the use of substandard materials.
- Also called built-in obsolescence.
Related Videos
Additional Information
- Word origin of “plan” and “obsolescence” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Fitzpatrick, Kathleen. 2011. Planned Obsolescence: Publishing, Technology, and the Future of the Academy. New York: New York University Press.
- Packard, Vance. 1960. The Waste Makers. New York: David McKay.
- Slade, Giles. 2006. Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Related Terms
Works Consulted
Ferrante, Joan. 2011a. Seeing Sociology: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Ferrante, Joan. 2011b. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Griffiths, Heather, Nathan Keirns, Eric Strayer, Susan Cody-Rydzewski, Gail Scaramuzzo, Tommy Sadler, Sally Vyain, Jeff Bry, Faye Jones. 2016. Introduction to Sociology 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).
Cite the Definition of Planned Obsolescence
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “planned obsolescence.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 20, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/planned-obsolescence/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
planned obsolescence. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/planned-obsolescence/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “planned obsolescence.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 20, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/planned-obsolescence/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“planned obsolescence.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/planned-obsolescence/>.