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
-
Maybe ‘Bazball’ can learn a thing or two from this old-fashioned bowling relic.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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In an era when attentive service often feels like a relic — perhaps another quiet casualty of the pandemic — this kind of efficiency now registers as something close to remarkable.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In addition to the parks, Moab is home to myriad petroglyphs, seen along Hidden Valley Trail, and dinosaur tracks located within Mill Canyon.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
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And if the sneakers themselves didn’t go heavy enough with the prehistoric theme, the shoebox is also fully decked out with a dinosaur motif which, when opened, is intended to look like a Tyrannosaurus opening its mouth.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Has-been.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/has-been. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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