What does sunsetting mean?
Sunsetting is the present participle of sunset and describes the sun moving down toward or beyond the horizon. The phrase “the sun is sunsetting” is literary rather than everyday, although the underlying verb has long been used in poetry and descriptive writing. In modern journalism, business, and technology, sunsetting has developed a broader figurative meaning: gradually ending a product’s availability, withdrawing support for a service, or phasing out a system. This usage can be tactful because “sunsetting” presents discontinuation as a planned and natural part of a product’s life cycle rather than an abrupt failure. It is often used in official announcements such as “sunsetting an app,” “sunsetting a feature,” or “the sunsetting of a platform.” The word is therefore useful in both its traditional image of evening and its contemporary administrative sense, though the figurative use should not replace more precise wording when the exact nature of a discontinuation matters.
verbTo descend below the horizon, as the sun does; in figurative use, to bring something to an end or discontinue it gradually.
- To descend below the horizon, as the sun does.
- To bring something to an end, discontinue it, or withdraw support for it.
"The company announced that it would be sunsetting its legacy messaging service at the end of the year."
"She watched the sun sunsetting behind the distant hills."
"Developers were given a year to update their apps before the platform began sunsetting."
A word for the evening sky has become a corporate euphemism for making a product disappear.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sunsetting come from?
Sunset is a Middle English compound of sun and set. The first element comes from Old English sunne, while set continues Old English settan, “to put, place, or set,” a Germanic verb related to sit. The modern verbal form sunsetting was formed by adding the present-participle ending -ing to sunset; its figurative use for discontinuing products and services is comparatively recent.
Related word forms
How sunsetting is actually used
The literal sense is literary and poetic. The figurative sense is especially common in technology, media, and business reporting, where it describes the planned end of a product, service, feature, or system.