obsolescence

This term describes the transition from utility to irrelevance. It carries a strong association with industrial and technological cycles, often evoking a sense of inevitable decay or the ruthless pace of innovation where perfectly functional items are discarded for newer versions. In economic contexts, it is frequently paired with the modifier planned to describe a business strategy where products are intentionally designed to fail or become outdated to force repeat purchases. As an uncountable noun, it refers to the general phenomenon or state of being outdated rather than individual instances of outdated items.