as in relic
one that has passed the peak of effectiveness or popularity
now a has-been, the actor's been reduced to appearing on a third-rate reality show
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Recent Examples of has-been
In other words, the vainly hopeful Larry is about to endure twin humiliations, leaving him feeling bumped out of his life and into the past—a has-been, instantly old.
—
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2025
DiCaprio makes a great, vital has-been, squinting at the horrors around him in disbelief, but mostly, driven by the need to protect his child.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
And as alcoholic has-been Morris, Matthau was fantastically slovenly and cynical, an anti–role model for the ages.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
Sun-soaked, punk rock ’70s California, a fraught family safari in Africa, a frustrated has-been and a digital future portrayed in a PowerPoint presentation show how disparate lives can affect each other.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Her being nominated for playing a grotesque has-been is, at the very least, a delicious irony.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
This isn’t a turn of events that Macchio, 63, possibly could have expected just a few years ago, when most of Hollywood had dismissed him as an Eighties has-been.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2025
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2025
DiCaprio makes a great, vital has-been, squinting at the horrors around him in disbelief, but mostly, driven by the need to protect his child.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 18 Sep. 2025
And as alcoholic has-been Morris, Matthau was fantastically slovenly and cynical, an anti–role model for the ages.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 25 July 2025
Sun-soaked, punk rock ’70s California, a fraught family safari in Africa, a frustrated has-been and a digital future portrayed in a PowerPoint presentation show how disparate lives can affect each other.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Her being nominated for playing a grotesque has-been is, at the very least, a delicious irony.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 2 Mar. 2025
This isn’t a turn of events that Macchio, 63, possibly could have expected just a few years ago, when most of Hollywood had dismissed him as an Eighties has-been.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for has-been
Noun
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The Jadeite Cabbage, like most of the National Palace Museum’s collection, is an imperial relic once housed at the Forbidden City in Beijing before being relocated to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War.—
Wayne Chang,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
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Their jaws dropped at the troves of historic artifacts and country music relics laid out before them.—
Laura L. Davis,
Nashville Tennessean,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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There are dinosaur and space-themed versions too, if flowers aren’t their thing.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
11 Nov. 2025
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Those unable to get to the British capital can use the Christie’s Select app to explore the dinosaur via immersive VR from anywhere in the world.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Has-been.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/has-been. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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