passé

adjective

pas·​sé pa-ˈsā How to pronounce passé (audio)
1
: past one's prime
2
a
b
: behind the times

Examples of passé in a Sentence

That style of music is now considered passé. that literary style is a bit passé nowadays
Recent Examples on the Web Do’s and don’ts The bubble-gum pink of the ’60s is passe. Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024 The idea of teaching classics in college is now passe. Armond White, National Review, 27 Dec. 2023 There have been plenty of mediocre, bad, and just plain terrible MCs throughout the history of hip-hop, most of whom have sucked in boring, passe ways — lack of writing, delivery and performance skills, weak imagination, poor vocabulary, forced trendiness. Jonathan Rowe, Spin, 22 Aug. 2023 Constantly posting is so passe! Jessica Goldstein, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2021 The band paid their Hollywood dues for years, including a late ‘70s to early ‘80s period when hard-rock/metal was considered completely passe. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 19 May 2022 Right now, the thought of a single-purpose device like the iPod can feel hopelessly passe. Washington Post, 10 May 2022 Sticking to remote work where one’s spare bedroom becomes the backdrop to important business meetings is becoming quite passe. Michael Alpiner, Forbes, 28 June 2021 La visibilité trans, et donc la lutte contre la transphobie, passe aussi par l'exercice de responsabilités politiques ou publiques. NBC News, 24 May 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'passé.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from past participle of passer

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of passé was in 1775

Dictionary Entries Near passé

Cite this Entry

“Passé.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pass%C3%A9. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

passé

adjective
pas·​sé pa-ˈsā How to pronounce passé (audio)
Etymology

French, literally, "past, gone by"

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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