Outgrown

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /aʊtˈɡɹoʊn/

Definitions

1. To have reached a point where something is no longer adequate or appropriate as a consequence of development or change
2. To have developed beyond the capacity or suitability of a previous condition or object
3. Having passed the stage where something fits or serves as before due to growth or progress

Etymology: "Outgrown" is the past participle of "outgrow," a verb built from "out" and "grow." Its prefix "out" traces back through Old English "ūt" and Proto-Germanic "ūt" to an ancient root shared with many Germanic words, and it carries the sense of going beyond or past a limit. "Grow" supplies the core idea of increasing in size or development. Together the pair gives the literal sense of growing beyond something: a child grows out of a coat that no longer fits, and by extension a person, idea or arrangement can be outgrown once it no longer suits a stage of development. The participle form "outgrown" is the one used with "have" or "be," as in "we have outgrown this office."

Synonyms: surpassed, exceeded

Antonyms: shrunk, diminished