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I'm trying to think if there's a word for a failure to keep up-to-date. For example, the British NHS's recent well-documented failure to maintain Windows XP, or a professional's failure to maintain Continuing Professional Development.

E.g.

"I'm not sure that your [delinquency] is our problem."

'Delinquency' may in fact be the best word, but I had in my mind something more akin to reprobation - I just can't quite put my finger on it, if indeed there is an 'it' to begin with.

Any thoughts?

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  • Do you need a noun, verb, or adjective? Or does it not matter?
    – bib
    May 26, 2017 at 12:55
  • Please include an example sentence showing how you would use the word, with something like a ___ where you want the target word to go. This helps us understand what kind of word and associations you want, so you get better answers. (It's also technically required for single-word-requests.)
    – 1006a
    May 26, 2017 at 17:36
  • In a informal way people often say they were "lagging" on a responsibility. "lagging" comes close to "procrastinating" but it is a bit less deliberate avoidance with a stronger sense of laziness.
    – Tom22
    May 26, 2017 at 21:39
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    Consider 'Negligence?' -- "You should have kept yourself up-to-date; I'm not sure that your negligence is our problem." Considering their meanings, 'delinquency' and 'reprobate' are not suitable in this context.
    – English Student
    May 26, 2017 at 23:22
  • Lack of vigilance or absentmindedness
    – Mari-Lou A
    May 27, 2017 at 4:33

3 Answers 3

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obsolescence

The process or fact of becoming obsolete or outdated, or of falling into disuse

(Oxford English Dictionary)

The process of becoming obsolete or outdated and no longer used

(Oxford online dictionary)

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  • Links that are clickable are most welcome, it means that users can check the definitions for themselves. Yes, the first link requires that you have a subscription but the second dictionary definition is from a free source.
    – Mari-Lou A
    May 27, 2017 at 4:12
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    Oh, I like obsolescence. That fits very well.
    – Strawberry
    May 27, 2017 at 5:05
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Out-of-date. Or old-fashioned

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    Nourhan, welcome to the site and thanks for participating. As you find your way around here, you'll see that documentation strengthens answers. Tip: if you want to share a quick thought, try putting it in a comment instead of an answer.
    – aparente001
    May 27, 2017 at 3:17
  • Note that the two suggestions you offer—although they provide reasonable answers to the broader question implied by the header "A word for failure to keep up-to-date"—would not work as fill-in-the-blank replacements for delinquency in the sentence "I'm not sure that your [delinquency] is our problem." Since that is the sense of "failure to keep up-to-date" that the poster is interested in, your answer isn't on point.
    – Sven Yargs
    May 28, 2017 at 22:35
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Deprecated

to withdraw official support for or discourage the use of (something, such as a software product) in favor of a newer or better alternative

(Merriam-Webster (online))

The tech writers released version 2 of the user manual; version 1 is now deprecated.

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    I don't think that deprecated, while related, actually describes a failure to keep up to date.
    – KillingTime
    Aug 26, 2021 at 7:06

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